cast history
Successful since 1898
C.Adolph from Berlin – a well-known name in the theatre world for stage screws, “duck-bill” braces, scissor clamps and scenery hinges that are in use on stages throughout Europe. Today, these and many other products are still supplied by the same company under a different name. C.Adolph has been a member of the DTHG – the German association for theatre technology – since 1 April 1958, and is still actively involved in it. Many changes have taken place in the years since the company first became a member – and C.Adolph have changed with the times as well.
Founded in 1898 in West Berlin, in the direct neighbourhood of the theatres in Charlottenburg and the centre of Berlin, C.Adolph is still located at the original shop at Savignyplatz. Nowadays, the former ironmonger and hardware business is run by the Savary family and the store has become a tourist attraction – and one of Berlin’s historic institutions.
A novum für theatre and stage techniques
Ceiling-high, wooden drawer cabinets; screws, drills and door locks from the Belle Epoque – it’s all there. Visitors to the shop find themselves transported to another era without fast-moving consumer goods, and can discover ironware and household articles with a history.
This shop with tradition has been managed by the Savary family since the 1980s. They took over the business in Berlin from Ingrid and Bernd Hammerstädt who started running C.Adolph in the second generation in the 1950s. The Hammerstädts made C.Adolph into what it stands for today – an established firm that is a family name to theatre and stage technicians, not only in Germany, but throughout Europe.
After World War II it became increasingly difficult to supply all the theatres in western Germany from Berlin. The isolated situation of the city - inconceivable to many of our children today – made it impossible to ensure reliable delivery to theatres outside Berlin. To solve this problem, the production of stage screws was moved to Halver in the Sauerland region. Then, 25 years ago, the decision was taken to relocate the complete manufacturing facilities to western Germany. After the move, C.Adolph stage equipment operated from Halver – and there was still the independent ironware shop in Berlin.
Ingrid and Bernd Hammerstädt could always be found wherever their customers needed advice and support. A stage technology congress without C.Adolph would have been unthinkable. The company has been part of the scenery ever since the first Showtech in Berlin. The grandfather of the current general manager already believed in proximity to the customer, and often translated ideas from his close business contacts into products.
Arved Hammerstädt has since taken over the management of C.Adolph in Halver in the third generation. After studying mechanical engineering and majoring in theatre technology, he re-established several product groups in the company, including the successful Wheels & Castors division.
C.Adolph & RST – a successful cooperation
Since the beginning of the 1990s, the company has been working together with RST, a cooperation publicised by joint appearances at the Showtech fair. In contrast with C.Adolph’s long tradition, RST is a relatively young organisation from Hagen which has already succeeded in gaining an excellent reputation in the field of lighting and stage technology. It is the number one distributor for Prolyte aluminium trussing in Germany, the exclusive importer of MDG fog generators from Canada, and a major agent for Selecon lighting systems and has been a competent partner to the event industry and in the amusement park sector throughout Germany since it started. The two companies joined forces as equal partners in 2005 when the C.Adolph business unit moved from Halver to Hagen and the internal organisation of the two companies was adapted to the new situation.
And now? The positive response to cast C.Adolph & RST Distribution GmbH since the 2005 Showtech, the further development of the team and, not least, the success arising from the merger, all speak for themselves.
Each of the three business units: C.Adolph, the classical stage equipment business unit; the lighting technology division with its selection of strong brands, and the stage technology division, in which the core competences of the “young” cast company are most intensely concentrated, has experienced an enormous increase in turnover and market share. In January 2007, the warehouse was extended by double the capacity; since then, the production facilities for ropes and load securing devices have been expanded, ensuring a promising future; and our staff have increased steadily. Under the management of Heinz Siller and Arved Hammerstädt, cast C.Adolph & RST Distribution GmbH will continue to invest in the future and remain a reliable partner to the theatres and event organisers in Germany. And they are certain to keep on refining a broad range of innovative products.
