Klüngelpütz Kabarett-Theater

The theater was founded in 1966 by the cabaret ensemble "Die Machtwächter," who ran the stage for 35 years. In 2001, the Klüngelpütz cabaret took over the premises and carried out a thorough renovation, while largely preserving the 1960s interior fittings. It remains the only Cologne theater from that era still performing in its original rooms.

The repertoire consists almost entirely of in-house productions, ranging from cabaret comedy and documentary theater to drag shows, readings, concerts, and talk shows, as well as improv theater, crime drama, and youth theater. Around thirty artists work with the house each season, producing six to eight premieres annually alongside three to four event series and four to six revivals.

While not a touring venue, the theater has long partnered with independent ensembles such as Freakademy and nötheater. It also cooperates with municipal institutions including the Cologne Puppet Theatre, the Romano-Germanic Museum, and Cologne's NS Documentation Center.

Marina Barth has led the theater artistically since 2001, performing as a cabaret artist, directing, and writing plays. She also authored two novels on Cologne's city history: "Lumpenball," about Jewish puppeteer Fanny Meyer of Cologne's Hänneschen Theater, and "Am Kronleuchter hängen wir nicht immer," about Trude Herr and the city's postwar theater scene. In 2025, the supporting association received the bessermacher Prize from the Imhoff Foundation Cologne.