Comedia Theater
Independent children's and youth theatre in a former Cologne fire station — with its own evening programme of cabaret, music and theatre for adults.
COMEDIA Theater is an independent children's and youth theatre in Cologne's Südstadt district, housed in a former fire station. Alongside its programme for young audiences, it runs a separate evening schedule for adults.
At a Glance
- Type
- Independent children's and youth theatre with adult evening programme
- Location
- Vondelstraße, Cologne Südstadt (city district Innenstadt)
- Building
- Former Fire Station IV Köln-Süd with adjacent new building, two theatre halls
- Founded
- 1974 in Würzburg, based in Cologne since 1977
- Programme
- Theatre for Young Audiences, Satire plus and Theater*Labor
- Venues
- Südstadt and "510 COMEDIA" in Cologne-Mülheim
- Suitable for
- Children, young people and adults
For decades, the COMEDIA Theater performed in a former supermarket on Cologne's Löwengasse – since 2009 it has been housed in a converted fire station built in 1904.
Things to do here
- Watch a play for children or teens
- Enjoy evening cabaret, music and theatre for grown-ups
- Discover the former fire station turned theatre
- Take your seat in one of the two theatre halls
- Join the theatre-education programme or the Theatre Lab
- Visit a festival such as Westwind, Spielarten or BOHEI
History
The theatre grew out of the troupe "Ömmes & Oimel", founded in Würzburg in 1974, which moved to Cologne in 1977 and from 1982 performed as "Comedia Colonia" in a former supermarket on Löwengasse. When the company relocated to the Kinderkulturhaus on Vondelstraße in August 2009, it dropped its founding name and has been operating as "COMEDIA Theater" since the 2009/2010 season. Supported by the city and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, it has been developing since the 2020/2021 season into the "Centre for Culture for Young Audiences in Cologne and NRW".
Venue
Performances take place in the former Fire Station IV Köln-Süd on Vondelstraße and in an adjacent new building. The southern Neustadt district grew rapidly around 1900 and required its own fire station; the building dates to 1904.
Theatre for Young Audiences
The repertoire combines adaptations of well-known stories and classic children's and youth literature with contemporary works and ensemble productions, spanning 17 pieces for all age groups. The schedule includes dramatised picture books, retold children's classics and works by European authors, with seven to eight new productions staged per season alongside a theatre education programme. Since the 2020/2021 season, music and dance theatre as well as annual in-house dance productions have broadened a programme previously focused on spoken theatre.
Satire plus
The two halls support an evening programme running throughout the week — more than 25 years of cabaret, music and theatre for adults. Guests range from well-known names on the cabaret circuit to emerging newcomers.
Theater*Labor and Festivals
The Theater*Labor — formerly Theaterwerkstatt — has existed since 1988, bringing together audiences and theatre-makers, schools and the arts, including collectives for children and young people. The children's and youth theatre festival "Westwind" was hosted here in 2011, 2018 and 2021. The "Spielarten" festival visits regularly each autumn, and the participatory festival "BOHEI – das Festival" has been a fixture of the in-house programme since the 2020/2021 season.
Timeline
- 1974Founded as "Ömmes & Oimel" in Würzburg
- 1977Moved to Cologne
- 1982Venue at "Comedia Colonia" (former supermarket, Löwengasse)
- 1988Theater*Labor (then called Theaterwerkstatt) begins operations
- 2009Move to new children's culture house (Vondelstraße, former fire station)
- 2009/2010Renamed to "COMEDIA Theater", new concept launched
- 2020/2021Development into "Centre of Culture for Young Audiences Cologne and NRW"
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Vondelstraße 4-8
50677 Köln
Hours
Mo: 15:00–00:00
Di: 15:00–00:00
Mi: 15:00–00:00
Do: 15:00–00:00
Fr: 15:00–00:00
Sa: 15:00–00:00
So: 19:00–00:00
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Sources & links
- Official website
- Official Instagram (@comedia.theater)
- Wikidata (retrieved 2026-06-23)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-06-23, rev 264020556)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26
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