Hans Wurst Nachfahren

Hans Wurst Nachfahren goes back to Hanswurst, the jester that starred in the plays of travelling theatre troupes in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Neighbourhood theatre since 1981

The charming, lovingly furnished puppet theatre Hans Wurst Nachfahren was founded in 1981 by Siegfried Heinzmann, Barbara Kilian, and Manfred Wegner. It produced 59 different shows in its first 30 years. It moved into its current home on Winterfeldtplatz in Schöneberg in September 1993.

The Hans Wurst Nachfahren programme

This small puppet theatre in Schöneberg is open year-round, offering a large theatre on the ground floor and a smaller stage upstairs. The café in the lobby has a terrace and opens one hour before each performance to offer arriving audiences a place to relax with drinks and snacks. The theatre has become a popular neighbourhood spot for people of all ages.

Outstanding puppet shows for children and adults

The theatre's repertoire includes not only shows for children, also plays for adults offered in German, French, or English with or without live music.
Storybook classics like the Gruffalo and his girlfriend, the story of the little mouse with its imaginary friend who suddenly becomes real, Snow White, Little Mouk, Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, The Dwarf's Nose, and Puss in Boots are just a few of the pieces performed for children.

Theater for adults at its finest

But adults can also look forward to exciting and artful entertainment. Classics like Faust, The Heart of Stone, Loriot's Dramatic Works, or The Door with the 7 Locks, an Edgar Wallace mystery, are just three of the six shows that adults can catch here in the evening.

The future hanging by a thread

In spring 2015, it was feared that the beloved puppet theatre was going to have to shut down. The building had been sold and the lease was not renewed. Thanks to a successful online petition, Hans Wurst Nachfahren got that decision reversed. "Dear Audience, we can stay after all. Lease extended to September 2018" was announced on the theatre's website. Let's hope that the show can go on even after 2018.