Das Schaudepot

The Institution is located in the basement of a white apartment building. 

The main entrance is on the right side of the building in a slightly sloping passage to the backyard and is accessible via steps. The white, roughly plastered facade separates the basement, in which the Institution is located, from the rest of the building. If the Institution is not already entered via the main entrance, but the visitors continue to walk through the driveway, in the back of the building they will find a white double door with a small ramp which, as barrier-free access for wheelchair users, leads directly into the Schaudepot.

The description is provided from the main entrance.

The main entrance can be reached via a small upward step. There are two more steps down the doorstep. 

The visitors are now in the reception area of the Institution, where they will be greeted by Melanie Mohren, Bernhard Herbordt or one of our employees.

The reception area is around twelve square meters and is illuminated by ceiling spotlights. To the left of the entrance door there is a double window, on the left wall of the room there are two other smaller windows. The room is very bright due to its floor being constructed of pressed, white-glazed coarse chipboard and white walls.

The reception area is divided in the middle by an L-shaped counter that is directly connected to the wall behind on the right-hand side, creating a small lounge area on the left and a narrow passage to the next room, the office, on the right. To the right of the entrance door is the door to the Schaudepot. 

The frontal sides of the counter are made of the same white glazed coarse chipboard as the floor, while the countertop is made of black coated wood. The counter is equipped with a coffee machine, a kettle, an electric hob and a sink. Here, visitors can be served coffee and drinks during events. 

On the right wall in the passage next to the counter hang two large white picture frames with graphics from the Institution’s archive. 

This room is mainly used to receive and greet visitors. On the window sill to the left of the entrance door, embedded in a black wooden structure, are the various publications of the Institution, from left to right ‘The Institution’, ‘The Theater’, ‘Institutions Presented’ and ‘The Work’. These books are available for purchase. 

On the left wall is a long sideboard made of light wood and smooth, black surfaces with elements that can be opened in different ways. The sideboard is divided into five compartments in width and three in height and has an extendable table which can be enlarged if necessary.

The Schaudepot is a unique model institution for the performing arts: research facility, archive, warehouse and event location, all at the same time. On request, small-scale performances in spoken English and German as well as in German sign language can be attended here. The glass door to the right of the main entrance leads directly into the Institution’s Schaudepot area. 

The room is elongated and about fourteen square metres. On the narrow side of the wall at the end of the room there is a white double door that leads into the courtyard and can be used inside by wheelchair users as a barrier-free access to the institution. In the warmer months of the year, this double door and thus also the space of the Schaudepot can be opened to the courtyard for larger events. 

There are red curtains hanging on the two doors of the room, which can be drawn for performances of different pieces, but are generally open. The white hardwood chipboard from the reception area extends into this room. 

A wooden structure defines the entire space. A shelving system extends over the entire left and right wall, dividing the room into different parcels and fulfilling different functions for experiencing the various work in the Schaudepot. It consists of both closed cabinets and open shelves. The shelves are made of natural wood, the closed surfaces, cabinet doors and shelves are made of black-coated, slightly shiny wood, as is the case with the built-in elements in the reception area. There is a wash basin directly to the left of the glass door.

In the middle of the shelf on the right there is the option to lower a tabletop. The shelf on the left has a smaller depth, the specialty here is that there is a recess in the middle to create space for the fold-out table. Here three screens are mounted on the wall. 

Each shelf parcel stands for a different piece or a different piece of work archived in the Schaudepot. The construction is designed in such a way that it can be changed over time, and various things can be added or removed again. This also applies to the cabinet doors, depending on the ‘use’, closed cabinets or shelves that can be seen can be created.

The entire room can be illuminated in different ways using spotlights and is equipped with a camera. Different functions of the room and different technical requirements are required for different pieces in the Schaudepot, such as the screens or the separately controllable theater lights. 

Back in the reception area, through the narrow corridor next to the counter on the right, there is another room, the office. 

The office is about twelve square metres, there is a large square spotlight on the ceiling, and there are two windows on the left wall. Opposite the entrance there is another door that leads to the cinema and the toilet. 

The white glazed chipboard floor from the reception area also extends into this room. In the middle there are two Eiermann tables pushed together. The table tops are white with light wooden edges, the frames are made of black metal. There is a black swivel chair at both tables. 

Below the two windows on the left wall is a low white bookcase. On the opposite wall to the right of the entrance is another high shelf with the Institution’s publications. Next to this shelf is the heating system for the room, and above it hangs a large, white sign that reads ‘The Institution’.

In order to get to the cinema and the toilets, the office has to be crossed once. Behind the glass door at the end of the room there is another door that leads into the basement area of the building on the ground floor. When these two doors, one after the other, are passed through, the visitors find themselves in a corridor. On the left there is a staircase leading up to the hallway of the residential building, next to it are two doors belonging to basement storage compartments of the residents.

The corridor splits in two after a few meters: To get to the restroom, visitors have to turn right. The narrow corridor about five metres long ends with a door that leads outside. To the left of this door is the toilet. The door can be locked from the inside with a simple hinged bolt at the level of the door handle. There is no washbasin in the toilet itself; visitors can use the washbasin in the reception area at the bar inside to wash their hands. 

In order to reach the cinema, visitors go straight through the corridor inside, after they have come out of the office through the two doors. At its end, visitors go through another door inside and enter the cinema. 

The cinema is about eleven square metres. There is a gray screed floor in the room. There are large, almost floor-to-ceiling metal shelves on all the walls, except the one on the left, which has two windows. 

In the middle of the room is the ‘cinema’, an approximately 1.5 metre high wooden structure with various small shelves. This object can be used to watch films or videos. In front of the window front there is another table that serves as a shelf. This room is also used as the Institution’s warehouse.