• ... shows the design of a stage set by the Aachen stage designer Matthias Stevens.
• Call from the Aachen City Archive: Do you know this stage set and the corresponding performance?
• After the war, Stevens worked continuously at Theater Aachen for more than four decades and probably designed over 500 stage sets.

The Aachen City Archives regularly selects interesting items from its collections to feature as the “Archival Item of the Month.” The item, accompanied by a brief description, is displayed in a showcase in the foyer of the City Archives on Reichsweg and is also presented digitally on the Archives’ website. In April 2026, the item is a stage design sketch by Matthias Stevens.

The Aachen Stage Designer Matthias StevensThe
estate of the Aachen stage designer Matthias Stevens recently entered the City Archives. In addition to theater posters, newspaper clippings, programs, and production photos, the documents included sketches of fascinating stage designs. Matthias Stevens (1924–2006) worked continuously at the Aachen Theater from 1941 until his retirement in 1984, designing well over 500 stage sets.

From Prisoner of War to the
TheaterHe initially entered the service of the City of Aachen as a painter; in the summer of 1942 he was drafted into military service, from which he returned in November 1945 after his release from a prisoner-of-war camp. Just a few weeks after his return, he went back to the theater and developed into a set designer over the years.

A true Aachener
Stevens, however, left his mark not only at the Theater Aachen. Starting in 1946, he also served as a set designer at the Öcher Schängche, for which he designed, for example, the signs at the Barockfabrik, and from 1963 to 1989 he also served as its artistic director. In 1998, he was awarded the Thouet Prize for his contributions to the Aachen dialect. He had already received the Rheinlandtaler in 1990. But he also rendered outstanding service to the Aachen Carnival, and in particular the Children’s Carnival, designing medals, floats, and stage decorations. For this, he was honored in January 2004 with the highest German carnival medal, the Order of Merit in Gold from the German Carnival Association. He also illustrated numerous publications.

Do you recognize this stage design?
The Archive Item of the Month features a stage design sketch by Matthias Stevens. Unfortunately, the image is not labeled, so we are asking for your help here! Does anyone recognize this stage design and can tell us which performance it belongs to? Please write to us at the email address:

stadtarchiv@mail.aachen.deQuelle: Aachen City Archives, Matthias Stevens Estate