Photo Flash: Mehr! Entertainment Unveils Model of New Venue in Hamburg

Construction work for the visionary venue within Hamburg's Grossmarkt will start in the west part of the middle hall in September 2013. Work is expected to be finished by late 2014 / early 2015. Mehr! Entertainment Group, which currently runs seven venues in Germany, will expand its portfolio by a most prominent location within the cultural metropolis of Hamburg. The group unveiled its designs today, and you can check out renderings of the new venue below!

On November 14th, 2012, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, represented by the Board for Economy, Transportation and Innovation / Management Agency Grossmarkt and Mehr! Entertainment signed a contract for the construction of a new theatre on part of the grounds within the 40.000m2 Hamburg Grossmarkt. This has been an important step towards the future: the aim is to follow a sustainable concept and open the Grossmarkt to a broader public as well as to establish a new cultural area.

As a true quick-change artist, the Mehr! Theatre will raise the bar and offer numerous possibilities for theatre- and musical productions, shows, events, rock and pop concerts and exhibitions. The auditorium is set for 2.000 seated guests and as many as 3.600 standing guests. The variable stage space from 320m2 to 1.440m2 can be viewed from up to four different angles and is applicable for all kind of productions.

Hamburg's Grossmarkthalle, which was completed in 1962 by architect Bernhard Hermkes, set a benchmark with its futuristic architecture of glass and concrete and stands today as one of the last remaining examples of reinforced concrete in Hamburg. It is a listed building. The Mehr! Theatre will be fully integrated in the existing Hamburg Grossmarkt. The structure of the ceiling with its reinforced concrete arches as well as the room height of 20 metres will be treated with respect and even highlighted in the architectural design.

The auditorium, foyer and bars are designed in a generous and open manner; the inner design does without annoying dividing walls or inserted ceilings. Next to the outstanding architecture, the building also captivates by its direct link to the quayside and, in future, as Eastern destination of the Speicherstadtboulevard.

„In cooperation with our team of architects, we have found the most attactive solution to integrate our new venue in a part of the existing Grossmarkthalle. At the same time, we are creating a venue which raises the bar and fulfils our demands towards high-end live entertainment. The visionary design of the theatre allows for creative mindsets and enables the development and production of innovative stage material, thus opening new horizons. That's what makes our theatre so exciting and unique - there is no comparable venue throughout Hamburg", says Maik Klokow, General Manager and Producer at Mehr! Entertainment.

Next to playing its own productions, the Mehr! Theatre also offers other organizers access to the most important musical market in Germany. The Hanseatic City of Hamburg is only topped by New York's Broadway and London's West End. What is more, the Mehr! Theatre also closes Hamburg's gap for concerts of all styles of music for an audience from 1.500 to 4.000.

Hamburg's Office for Monument Conservation closely followed meetings and designs. While taking all actual requirements into account, the connection between a new culture venue and all dealers within the Grossmarkt is one of success. Opening hours of the market and the theatre's playtimes do not clash, further making the Mehr! Theatre an enrichment for the Grossmarkt.

Senator of Commerce, Frank Horch, has stated the importance of being innovative and breaking new ground: "Setting up a new theatre within an existing, successful large market place is certainly a challenge and an unusual step. However, we are convinced that we are doing the right thing. The theatre will be a gain for the entire city and it will be a connecting link between Hamburg's East and the HafenCity."

Torsten Behrens, General Manager of the Management Agency Grossmarkt, says:"It is our aim to further develop the Grossmarkt area in a future orientEd Manner. The absolute focus is on the trade with fruit, vegetables and flowers. Optimizing the use of the area and thus opening the grounds in parts, however, will integrate it further into the adjacent urban districts. We have already staged some larger events over the past few years for that purpose. The new theatre will be a further fundamental component within this development, which also supports cost stability for all in the Grossmarkt."

Roughly one year before the opening date of the Mehr! Theatre, Mehr! Entertainment will announce the production it will stage to celebrate the opening.

The Mehr! Entertainment Group Headquarters is based in Duesseldorf and it is an active player in the field of entertainment in Germany. Activities of Mehr! Entertainment Group cover various different fields: Development and implementation of new shows and innovative entertainment concepts, production of internationally renowned musicals, organization and accomplishment of top-class events and exhibitions, comedy acts and the realization of large tours and their respective sales and marketing requirements. The Hamburg concert producer a.s.s.concerts & promotions GmbH, the Cologne-based tour agency s.e.a. entertainment GmbH as well as the ticketing business Deutsche Eintrittskarten GmbH and its online ticketing site www.eintrittskarten.de are also part of the Mehr! Entertainment Group.

Mehr! Entertainment Group currently runs seven venues in Germany: Capitol Theater Duesseldorf, Musical Dome Cologne, The CATS Theatre Tent, Admiralspalast Berlin, Musical Theater Bremen and Starlight Express Theater Bochum - they all present successful and globally renowned musicals and shows. In April 2012, Mehr! Entertainment opened its first ongoing exhibition in Oberhausen, TOP SECRET - the secret world of espionage. For more information, visit www.mehr-entertainment.de.

Maik Klokow (CEO Mehr! Entertainment), Frank Horch (Hamburg's minister of trade and commerce) and Torsten Berens (manager Großmarkt Hamburg)

An animation of the theatre model at night.