Garrison Theatre (Stadttheater Klagenfurt)

The Stadttheater in Klagenfurt was requistioned for use to entertain the servicemen during their stay in Klagenfurt. This fine theatre on Theaterplatz 4 was opened originally on 22 September 1910 as the Kaiser Franz Joseph I Jubiläumstheater. It would provide an venue for various sorts of entertainment such as opera, variety and film shows.

During the British occupation, the Stadttheater became one of the main venues used to entertain servicemen stationed in the region. At first, performances were arranged through the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA), the civilian organisation set up in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide shows for troops across the world. ENSA had spent the war years sending performers everywhere from Iceland to Burma, but its work came to an end in August 1946.

After ENSA was disbanded, responsibility for forces entertainment passed to the newly created Combined Services Entertainment (CSE). Unlike ENSA, CSE operated under the authority of the War Office and was designed to support the large numbers of British personnel still serving overseas after the war. In Austria, CSE shows were coordinated by 95 Combined Services Entertainment Unit, based in Krumpendorf on the Wörthersee, where a NAAFI‑run hostel also accommodated visiting performers.

The Stadttheater hosted a steady programme of concerts, variety acts, and touring shows throughout the occupation period. For many servicemen, these evenings offered a welcome break from routine and a reminder of normal life at home. The building’s pre‑war cultural role continued, but for a decade it also served as a practical and much‑used hub for British military welfare.

Literature

Merriman, Andy. Greasepaint & Cordite: How ENSA Entertained the Troops in World War II. Aurum Press, 2013

Abbreviations

• CSE — Combined Services Entertainment
• EFI — Expeditionary Force Institutes
• ENSA — Entertainment National Services Association
• NAAFI — Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes