The Castle Theatre in Celle is the court theatre which was established between 1670 and 1674/75 on the initiative of the opera lover, George William

George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

George William was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled first over the Principality of Calenberg, a subdivision of the duchy, then over the Lüneburg subdivision. In 1689 he occupied the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg....

 (1624-1705), Prince of Lüneburg from the House of Brunswick and Lüneburg, as part of the refurbishment and baroque

Baroque

The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...

 restyling of Celle Castle

Celle Castle

Celle Castle or, less commonly, Celle Palace, in the German town of Celle in Lower Saxony was one of the residences of the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg...

. This baroque theatre, which fell into disuse and neglect for a while, was comprehensively renovated in 1935 with a horseshoe-shaped auditorium

Auditorium

An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...

 in the Italian style and is one of the oldest theatre buildings in Europe.

The stalls and two circles of the auditorium, the second gallery being an 18th century addition, has a total of 330 seats.

Attached to the Castle Theatre is a smaller stage (Studiobühne) known as the Malersaal ("paint shop") with 40 seats.

Directors

From 1998 to 2008 Karin H. Veit was the director of the theatre. Since March 2008 it has been temporarily led by the dramaturg, Bettina Wilts.

External links

• Internet site for the Castle Theatre
• History of the Castle Theatre