Theater Lübeck

The Theater Lübeck (also: Stadttheater, formerly: Bühnen der Hansestadt Lübeck) is run by the Lübecker Theater gGmbH, a company of the Hanseatic city of Lübeck. Around 400 people work at the Theater Lübeck, including the permanent ensemble for drama and music theatre, the Philharmonic Orchestra, the theatre chorus and guests. The historic theatre building in Lübeck's old town contains three venues; symphony concerts take place in the nearby concert hall. Interest in drama and opera awoke in Lübeck too only in the course of the Enlightenment. The first opera was performed on 2 June 1746 in the house of the master carpenter Schröder at the corner of Königstraße and Wahmstraße. Since 1753 a theatre has stood in Lübeck in the upper Beckergrube. Today's theatre building had two predecessors there, the Lüneburger Hof (1753–1857) and the Casinotheater (1858–1905). From 1799 the theatre had, under the direction of Leopold Löwe, a permanent ensemble for the first time. The predecessor buildings and the ensemble's relationship to the urban upper bourgeoisie in the 19th century were described in detail by Thomas Mann in his Buddenbrooks.