In 1802, Julius Reichsgraf von Soden, a Prussian envoy and passionate theater lover, had the building complex on Schillerplatz converted into a theater. Bamberg was one of the first cities to employ a permanent theater company. In 1808, E.T.A. Hoffmann, who later gave his name to the theater, joined the Bamberg theater as music director and worked there for five years. During this time, the ensemble brought the Spanish playwright Pedro Calderón de la Barca to the German stage, laying the foundations for the Calderón Festival, which has been held at the end of every season since 1973.
Following the renovation and expansion of the theater, it was reopened in October 2003. In addition to the main auditorium with around 400 seats and the studio with around 100 seats, the vault with around 60 seats and the TREFFBAR, which has been used as a theater bar since the 2015/16 season, were added.
Since the 2015/16 season, Sibylle Broll-Pape has been the first woman at the helm of the "ETA Hoffmann Theater Bamberg". A permanent ensemble of 16 actors works under her direction.
The ETA Hoffmann Theater is the municipal theater in the heart of Bamberg. Its aim is to address social developments and reflect on the increasing diversity and complexity of social life and the uncertainties and questions of orientation that this brings for many people. In this way, the theater aims to fulfill its educational mission and meet the expectations of citizens as a place for artistic reflection, orientation and the creation of meaning.
This content has been machine translated.