moa theater
Hannover-based amateur open-air theatre ensemble performing annual summer productions since 2001.
Last updated September 29, 2026
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Overview
moa theater is an amateur theatre group based in Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany. Its name is derived from the German phrase "mobiles open-air-theater" (mobile open-air theatre). Founded in 2001, the ensemble has no fixed indoor venue and instead stages its main productions as open-air theatre during the summer months. The annual summer run typically comprises about eight evening performances spread over up to ten days, attracting between roughly 1,100 and 2,300 spectators per year; indoor performances can host up to 600 people. The group is organised as a registered non-profit association (gemeinnütziger Verein) whose members work on a voluntary basis. It is financed through ticket revenues and local sponsors. Members range in age from about 20 to 60 and largely build the stage sets, lighting, props and costumes themselves. The theatre is a member of the Amateurtheaterverband Niedersachsen and, through it, of the Bund Deutscher Amateurtheater. Its stated purpose is to stage theatre events on a voluntary basis with professional standards and to make them accessible to a broad public, while offering people of all ages the opportunity to take part in its theatre projects. Over the years the ensemble has performed works by Shakespeare, Brecht, Dürrenmatt, Büchner, Hofmannsthal, Ibsen, Stoppard and contemporary authors such as Saša Stanišić, Sibylle Berg and Marlene Streeruwitz. Since 2023 it has also staged crime-dinner formats in restaurants. The theatre has performed at changing open-air locations around Hannover, including the Welfengarten by the Welfenschloss, the inner courtyard of the New Town Hall, the Helmkehof cultural meeting place in Hainholz, the Platzprojekt site in Linden-Mitte and the Von-Alten-Garten. It paused performances during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, 2021 and 2022, producing short radio plays in 2020 instead.
History
moa theater was founded in 2001 in Hannover as an amateur theatre group whose name is derived from "mobiles open-air-theater". From its beginnings the ensemble focused on open-air summer productions and had no fixed indoor venue. Between 2001 and 2007, seven different productions were staged against the historic backdrop of the Welfenschloss in the Welfengarten in Hannover. In the early years the repertoire consisted exclusively of Shakespeare plays, beginning with 'Viel Getu um Nichts' in 2001, followed by 'Romeo und Julia' (2002), 'Verlorne Liebesmüh' (2003), 'Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor' (2004) and 'Der Sturm' (2005). From 2006 the group broadened its repertoire to include Bertolt Brecht's 'Baal' and Friedrich Dürrenmatt's 'Der Besuch der alten Dame' (2007). The first indoor production took place in February 2006 in the auditorium of the International School Hannover Region, where 'Der Sturm' was shown because weather had caused cancellations during the previous open-air run. From 2008 to 2010 the eastern inner courtyard of the New Town Hall in Hannover became the venue, with support from the city of Hannover. Further indoor productions followed, including 'Romeo & Julia - in fünfundzwanzig Minuten' at the first Hannover amateur theatre festival in 2007 at the Freizeitheim Lister Turm, 'King A' by Inèz Derksen at the Modeschule M3 Menschen Machen Mode Hannover, and 'Jedermann' in 2011. After an indoor production in 2011 and a performance in the courtyard of a cultural meeting place in the Südstadt district, the open-air performances moved in 2013 and 2014 to the grounds of the Kulturtreff Helmkehof in the Hainholz district, a former rubber goods factory. In 2015 the ensemble performed at the Platzprojekt site in Linden-Mitte, and in 2016 it staged no play. In 2017 it performed on the terrace of the former Linden Castle in the Von-Alten-Garten. The repertoire continued to diversify, with works by Jean Anouilh (2008), Shakespeare's 'Heinrich IV' (2009), Georg Büchner's 'Leonce und Lena' (2010), Hugo von Hofmannsthal's 'Jedermann' (2011), Moritz Rinke's 'Republik Vineta' (2012), Dieter Forte's 'Martin Luther & Thomas Münzer' (2013), Oliver Bukowski's 'Kritische Masse' (2014), Ingrid Lausund's 'Hysterikon' (2015), Rüdiger Jantzen's 'Der Weltläufer' (2017), Tom Stoppard's 'Der wahre Inspektor Hound' and Jörg Graser's 'Jailhouse Blues' (2018), Anke Kuhl's 'Lehmriese lebt' and Henrik Ibsen's 'Ein Volksfeind' (2019). During the COVID-19 pandemic the theatre staged no play in 2020, 2021 and 2022; in 2020, when performances were prohibited for infection-control reasons, it produced short radio plays instead. Performances resumed in 2023 with Saša Stanišić's 'Hey, hey, hey, Taxi!', and since 2023 the group has also conducted crime dinners in restaurants. In 2024 it staged Marlene Streeruwitz's 'Waikiki Beach' and Sibylle Berg's 'Helges Leben', and in 2025 Michael Ende's 'Die unendliche Geschichte'. The ensemble is organised as a non-profit association whose members work voluntarily and finance the theatre through ticket revenues and local sponsors. It is a member of the Amateurtheaterverband Niedersachsen and belongs through it to the Bund Deutscher Amateurtheater. Its stated purpose is to stage theatre events on a voluntary basis with professional standards and to make them accessible to a broad public, while offering people of all ages the opportunity to participate in its theatre projects. The summer open-air runs, held over several evenings, attract between about 1,100 and 2,300 spectators annually, and indoor performances can accommodate up to 600 people. Accessibility features and a sign-language interpreter are offered at performances.
- 2025
Michael Ende's 'Die unendliche Geschichte' performed.
- 2024
Marlene Streeruwitz's 'Waikiki Beach' and Sibylle Berg's 'Helges Leben' performed.
- 2023
Performances resume with Saša Stanišić's 'Hey, hey, hey, Taxi!'; crime dinners introduced in restaurants.
- 2021
No play staged due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2020
No theatre performances due to the COVID-19 pandemic; short radio plays produced instead.
- 2019
Anke Kuhl's 'Lehmriese lebt' and Henrik Ibsen's 'Ein Volksfeind' performed.
- 2018
Tom Stoppard's 'Der wahre Inspektor Hound' and Jörg Graser's 'Jailhouse Blues' performed.
- 2017
Performances on the terrace of the former Linden Castle in the Von-Alten-Garten; Rüdiger Jantzen's 'Der Weltläufer' staged.
- 2016
No play staged.
- 2015
Performances at the Platzprojekt site in Linden-Mitte; Ingrid Lausund's 'Hysterikon' staged.
Products and positioning
Volunteer-run amateur theatre with professional standards, staging accessible open-air productions in Hannover.
Viel Getu um Nichts (2001)
Romeo und Julia (2002)
Verlorne Liebesmüh (2003)
Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (2004)
Der Sturm (2005, 2006 indoor)
Baal (2006)
Der Besuch der alten Dame (2007)
Romeo & Julia – in fünfundzwanzig Minuten (2007)
Jeanne d’Arc oder Die Lerche (2008)
Heinrich IV (2009)
Leonce und Lena (2010)
Jedermann (2011)
Republik Vineta (2012)
Martin Luther & Thomas Münzer oder Die Einführung der Buchhaltung (2013)
Kritische Masse (2014)
Hysterikon (2015)
Der Weltläufer (2017)
Der wahre Inspektor Hound / Jailhouse Blues (2018)
Lehmriese lebt / Ein Volksfeind (2019)
Hey, hey, hey, Taxi! (2023)
Waikiki Beach / Helges Leben (2024)
Die unendliche Geschichte (2025)
Second 'Taxi' volume by Saša and Nikolai Stanišić (2026)
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