Esther Schweins follows in the footsteps of the ancient theater, introduces the amphitheater and asks an archaeologist to describe what ancient Trier may have looked like with its numerous entertainment venues. Director Hans Neuenfels talks about his unsuccessful Fluxus project at the Theater Trier in the 1960s, which led to his hasty departure at night and in the fog.
The star tenor René Kollo talks about the good atmosphere in Trier, and Guildo Horn, son of the city, naturally also has his say and talks about his first theater experiences and later roles at the Antikenfestspiele.
Theater excerpts provide an insight into Trier's tense relationship with another famous son of the city, Karl Marx.
Spectators from overseas report on what is so unique about Trier's theater and why they travel to the Moselle for opera performances as part of the "Unknown Operas" cycle.
The Theater Trier has been around for 200 years.
The municipal theater was founded in 1802.
Napoleon himself handed over a Capuchin monastery to the local government by decree to establish a theater.
For over 140 years - until its destruction in 1944 - theater was performed in the former monastery.
The beginning of the 20th century was one of the most glamorous times.
In 1908, the 25-year-old Heinz Tietjen, who later became the general director of all the Prussian state theaters in Berlin, Hanover, Kassel and Wiesbaden, staged the first closed production of Richard Wagner's "Ring des Nibelungen" in the history of the Trier theater.
During the Nazi era, productions of the classics were used to create a political mood.
On September 1, 1944, the theater was ordered to close, and in December a bombing raid completely destroyed the building.
After the Second World War, performances were initially held in a ballroom until the new theater at the Augustinerhof was opened in 1964.
But theatrical performances were not only staged indoors; open-air performances were also on the program.
In 1998, artistic director Heinz Lukas-Kindermann launched the Antique Festival, which has repeatedly featured prominent artists such as Elke Sommer, Guildo Horn, René Kollo, Werner Schneyder, Anja Silja and Sir Peter Ustinov.
The Antikenfestspiele productions attempt a contemporary interpretation of ancient plays, materials and mythologies, while a series of lesser-known operas are performed in the music theater.