F40 - English Theatre Berlin & Theater Thikwa

The F40 houses two theatres: the English Theatre Berlin, Berlin’s only theatre that exclusively performs in English, and the Thikwa integration theatre.

The English Theatre Berlin

Today the repertoire of the English Theatre Berlin entirely reflects its name. Founded in in 1990, it gained a reputation as a multilingual theatre under the name Friends of Italian Opera – after the code name for the Mafia in the cult film Some Like It Hot. Now that the theatre only performs plays in English, the name was changed to the English Theatre Berlin (ETB) in 2006.

The programme includes everything from classics to forgotten gems and from straight theatre to comedy – as long as it is performed in English. There are also numerous productions of its own. The ETB regularly guests at many theatre festivals and in recent years has developed links with international institutions such as the British Council, the US Embassy and the Irish Arts Council. These close partnerships have resulted in many international guest performances.

The Theater Thikwa

The plays at the Theater Thikwa are developed collaboratively by disabled and able-bodied actors, and explore the differences between them, as well as what they have in common. As well as acting, the programme includes performance, music, spoken word and dance. The Theater Thikwa is a social experiment which looks at the bigger picture and has thus become an established part of Berlin’s theatre scene. Founded in 1990, the theatre has been promoting artistic collaboration between disabled and able-bodied people ever since.

In 2005 the ensemble moved into its first permanent home, which it shares with the ETB. The name of the theatre comes from Hebrew and means “hope”.  

The stages

The large auditorium in the F40 seats 90-140 people and has barrier-free access. The theatre building also has a studio stage with a capacity of 50-70 seats.

Information for schools

The English Theatre Berlin offers various workshops for school classes.