Naturtheater am Apollo-Tempel [Schwetzingen]
Theatre building in Schwetzingen, Germany
Naturtheater am Apollo-Tempel
Open-air garden theatre, built 1761 for Kurfürst Carl Theodor von der Pfalz. The theatre consisted of a semicircular auditorium surrounded by Sphinx sculptures, an elevated stage, and two wooden proscenium portals at each side of the auditorium. The Apollo-Tempel façade and its grotto basement doubled as stage background wall. Used for drama and opera performances (eg. Gluck's Cythère assiegèe, performed in 1774 in presence of the composer). In 1843, the wooden portals were destroyed by a falling tree. In the 1990s, trees were planted at the site of the portals to convey an idea of the original design.