It’s audition season in Germany and singers are madly contacting agents and writing theaters to find a job. It’s a good idea, but having an informed method in the madness is vital. Knowing which theater to write is the first step. The wrong choice may even hurt your career since big theaters won’t consider inexperienced singers and will write you off as uninformed.
I compiled this list of publicly supported opera theaters. The important thing to look at is the theater’s rating, A, B, C or D. The ratings are based on a complicated formula but come down to money and size: the more money they pay the orchestra and the bigger the theater, the higher the rating. The ratings are broad, and my personal ratings try to reflect a more nuanced view of the standings of these theaters A1 and B1 are higher than A2 or B2, and the lower case a is my opinion and means they seem to me a cut below the A theaters. You’re unlikely to get an audition at A1, A or even Aa theaters at your first go. They’re just too big to consider inexperienced singers. B,C and even some D theaters are where you want to look. Go to their website, look at the shows they’re doing this season. Take a look at who (singer wise) is working there and what their experience is.
If you like what you see, then you need to look for the OPERNDIREKTOR, or Casting Direktor or someone in the KBB (Künstlerishes Betriebsbüro / administrative office) who can give you an audition. You will probably find contact information under ÜBER UNS or ENSEMBLE. They may also be listed as VERWALTUNG (Administration). You never know what they’re looking for, but if you’re experienced onstage with orchestra and have an agent who’ll back you up, you can aim higher, but most singers starting out in Germany should confine themselves to B and C rated theaters. These are very broad categories, and some B or B+ theaters won’t consider untested singers but that’s for you to decide when you look at their website. B- and C theaters can be a good place to start since you have a much better chance at bigger roles. D houses tend to have small orchestras and more limited seasons. They often pay for productions from other theaters, but if you come across something that looks interesting, by all means write to them.
Do remember that the smaller the theater the more German you’ll have to speak and the pay will be even lower. Some theaters try to save money by not having an agent involved, so this can be an advantage. Quality is another matter, and some small theaters have terrific productions so don’t turn up you nose just because of a theater’s rating! Here’s the list
THEATER RANKINGS ACCORDING TO GdBA / MY PERSONAL. RATINGS IN (PARENTHESIS) IF DIFFERENT
Aachen B (B)
Augsburg B
BERLIN STAATSOPER A1
BERLIN DEUTSCHE A1
BERLIN KOMISHCE. A1 (A2)
BIELEFELD B
BONN A
BRAUNSCHWEIG A
BREMEN A
BREMERHAVEN C
CHEMNITZ A (Aa)
COBURG B
COTTBUS B1
DARMSTADT A (Aa)
DESSAU B1
DETMOLD B
DORTMUND A
DRESDEN SO A1
DRESDEN RADEBEUL B
DÜSSELDORF A1 (A2)
DUIBURG A2 (A2)
EISENACH C
ERFURT B1
FRANKFURT A (A2)
FREIBERG C
FREIBURG iBR B
GELSENKIRCHEN B1 (B)
GERA B
GIEßEN D
GÖRLITY C
HAGEN B
HALBERSTADT D
HALLE A (Aa)
HAMBURG A1
HANNOVER A2
HEIDELBERG B
HILDESHEIM D
HOF B
KAISERSLAUTERN B
KASSEL B (B1)
KIEL B
KOBLENZ B
KÖLN A1
KREFELD B
LEIPZIG A1
LÜBECK B
MAGDEBURG B1
MAINZ B
MANNHEIM A (A2)
MEININGEN B
MÖNCHENG.BACH B
MÜNCHEN SO A1
MÜNCHEN G.PL A2
MÜNSTER B
NEUSS B
NEUSTRELITZ B
NORDHAUSEN B
NÜRNBERG A (A2)
OLDENBURG B
OSNABRÜCK B
PASSAU D
PFORYHEIM D
PLAUEN B
REGENSBURG B
ROSTOCK A (B)
SAARBRÜCKEN A
SCHWERIN A (B)
STUTTGART A (A2)
TRIER C
ULM C
WEIMAR A2
WIESBADEN A2
WUPPERTAL A (Aa)
WÜRZBURG B
ZWICKAU B