Is it too romantic to say that a place, a building, has an essence or a spirit that draws a certain type of person or group to it? Is it possible that such a building, despite being built many generations ago, having survived two wars, an occupation, and a reunification, exists to attract such a person or group? If such an idea were not too romantic or idealistic, it could be argued that the Chamäleon Theater, located in the Hackesche Höfe area of Berlin, Germany, is such a place. 

Over the years, the Chamäleon Theater has lived many lives. At each point, it has been a place for live performance, gathering, and celebrating the arts. After its construction in 1906, it hosted Vaudeville-style acts until World War Two broke out. Despite being spared the worst of the bombing during the War, under the division of Berlin, the Chamäleon Theater ended up in the Soviet-controlled East Block where it fell into disrepair after years of neglect.  But the show must go on, and the Chamäleon Theater was resurrected in 1991, after the reunification of Berlin, by a group of local artists. The space was reclaimed and transformed into a theatre once again, the Berlin Varieté. This incarnation of the ...