Bremer Stadttheater

The first permanent theatre in Bremen opened in 1792 on the Junkernbastion near the Ostertor gate. Built in seven weeks of timber and plaster, the plain exterior measured only sixteen by thirty-two metres yet held about fifteen hundred seats. Two tiers of boxes lined the walls while benches without backs filled the pit. A simple walm roof capped the structure and a small rear extension housed the dressing rooms. The theatre quickly became the centre of Bremen’s cultural life. Its opening night featured a prologue followed by Babo’s Bürgerglück, and the first season ran fifty-five performances. Mozart and Paisiello operas shared the stage with plays by Goethe, Schiller and Lessing, while Iffland and Kotzebue dominated the lighter repertoire. Audiences packed the house so tightly that two hundred spectators once stood on the stage itself. Despite such success the company remained seasonal, playing only winter months and touring the rest of the year. Inside, gilt chandeliers hung from the ceiling and sixteen busts of poets—including Voltaire, Goethe and Schiller—lined the walls. A portico of columns was added later, and in 1826 a theatre society founded by Senator Olbers installed a music library. By 1841 the old building had served its purpose; it was bought, closed and demolished to make way for the second Stadttheater, leaving only the Olbers monument in the Wallanlagen park to mark the spot.