The Ohnsorg Theater in Hamburg

Hamburg

-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

 is a stage where comedy is performed in Platt

Low German

Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...

and plays a major role in spreading the knowledge of this language. Founded in 1902 by Dr. Richard Ohnsorg (1876–1947), broadcasts of its comedies on the NDR

Norddeutscher Rundfunk

Norddeutscher Rundfunk is a public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR transmits for the German states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein...

 have made it and its main star Heidi Kabel

Heidi Kabel

Heidi Bertha Auguste Kabel was a German musician and actress. Most of her stage roles were performed at the Ohnsorg-Theater in Hamburg, many of them in Low German....

 popular in many parts of Germany and beyond.

History

The theatre was founded by Dr. Richard Ohnsorg in 1902 as Dramatische Gesellschaft Hamburg, with the stated purpose of providing a stage on which plays in platt could be performed. This was often not possible in other theatres, since platt was generally considered to be a sign of low social rank and rather boorish. Plays, some written in platt, others translated from the German and other languages, were performed in cramped circumstances and various locations. In 1920, its name was changed to Niederdeutsche Bühne Hamburg e. V., indicating the company now had to rely on volunteers to stage any productions.

In 1936, the company moved into the former Kleine Lustspielhaus on the Großen Bleichen. The NSDAP was sympathetic to the company's aim to stimulate local culture, and the brand comedy delivered by Ohnsorg and his company was popular. After the war, in 1946 the theatre was renamed the Richard Ohnsorg-Theater and since 1954 its plays are broadcast by the NDR. Especially during the 60s and 70s its productions made the cast hugely popular, especially its main star Heidi Kabel

Heidi Kabel

Heidi Bertha Auguste Kabel was a German musician and actress. Most of her stage roles were performed at the Ohnsorg-Theater in Hamburg, many of them in Low German....

.