In the foyer, the famous blue wall reliefs by Yves Klein can be admired, which are among the largest reliefs by the artist at all. But even from a distance, the building attracts its visitors with the extraordinary architecture of Werner Ruhnau and his artist collective. The rectangular glass façade allows the illuminated exterior wall of the audience room of the Great House to shine through, whose plaster was sculpturally created by the artist Paul Dierkes. The closer you get, the more details become visible: be it the tube sculpture by Norbert Kricke on the outer wall of the Small House, or the angular white concrete front of the ticket hall designed by Robert Adams.
Inside the house, the artistic overall concept from the fifties continues into the furnishings: In the foyer, visitors can take a seat in the original chairs and let the intense blue of the exhibits affect them before the performance or during the intermission.
The MiR stands for a wide-ranging opera schedule with works from the Baroque to the present, including musicals and operettas, and for the regionally renowned ballet in the district – renamed MiR Dance Company in 2018. The management places great importance on innovative work for children and young people in the field of music theater. In 2019, puppet theater was established as a new branch at the house, which both presents its own productions for children, teenagers, and adults, as well as participates in opera, musical, and dance productions. Furthermore, the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen – the opera orchestra of the MiR – regularly performs symphonic concerts in the main house. The artistic spectrum is complemented by concerts featuring symphonic jazz and film music or chanson and song evenings.
