The Theatre of Rudolstadt

Theater and music have long been a part of Rudolstadt tradition.
A small music group was performing at Heidecksburg Castle as early as 1635. In 1665 a big Castle festival in Germany took place at the Court of the Heidecksburg Castle.
A short while later Phillip Heinrich Erlebach (1657-1714) became the resident conductor of the orchestra. His "The Plejades", became famous beyond the borders of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.
Other famous concert masters and conductors of the castle orchestra were Johann Graf (1680-1745) and Georg Gebel (1709-1753) who composed operas for the Rudolstadt residence.
The sons of Bach, Wilhelm Friedeman and Carl Phillip Emanuel performed concerts at Heidecksburg.
With the conductor Christian Gotthelf Scheinpflug (1722-1770) came a change in the theatrical and cultural activities at Rudolstadt. They took on a striking simplicity and genuineness.
In 1722, Duke Friederich Karl ordered the construction of a theater on a meadow. His successor, Ludwig Friedrich II, completed the project.
In 1794 a theater group directed by Goethe was performing on the stage of the Rudolstadt Theater.
Within a few years Rudolstadt had developed its' own ensemble.
Musical plays as well as the dramas of Goethe, Schiller and other authors were soon performed.
The Theatre of Rudolstadt at all times attached to a lot of visitors and important persons. So not only musicians and authors of Rudolstadt worked here, but also temporarly Niccolo Paganini, Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner.
The 3-section-theatre Rudolstadt merged with the theatre Eisenach. The 2 theatres and the Thuringian Symphonics became one entertainement - the Thueringer Landestheater Eisenach Rudolstadt Saalfeld until summer 2003.
The town Eisenach closed the contract.
Starting with the saison 2003/4 Theatre Rudolstadt works as own entertainment.