Theater is a complex cosmos where individuals in artistic, craft, and technical professions work collaboratively towards a common goal: the premiere night. In the grand special exhibition of 2025/26, visitors will enter the backstage area of the Munich Residenztheater and follow the current production of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', which premiered on May 16, 2025. The exhibition explores how people in dramaturgy, workshops, or rehearsal stages collaborate. It questions what moves the theater world today, fifty years ago, or even a hundred years back. Highlights from the historical collections of the German Theater Museum will be displayed, inviting discussions about the future of theater.

A notable highlight of the exhibition is one of the world's most valuable book editions: the First Folio, the first complete edition of Shakespeare's works. Shakespeare's theatrical texts were crafted for the stage, not intended for reproduction as printed materials. It is believed that he often provided only drafts to his actors, leading to revised stage versions. Some printed versions may have been reconstructed from the memories of actors or audiences. Shakespeare's dramas thus emerge not merely as the work of a single individual but as the result of a collective creative process. The First Folio will be displayed rarely--available in 'making THEATRE' until early October (June 25 to April 12, 2026).