Ohnsorg-Theater, Low German theatre in St. Georg, Hamburg, Germany.
Ohnsorg-Theater occupies the listed Bieberhaus, built in 1909, north of Hamburg Hauptbahnhof at Heidi-Kabel-Platz 1. Its main hall seats 414, about 50 more than the old Große Bleichen playhouse, and a studio stage on the first floor holds 100. A dark canopy with red lettering marks the entrance, and a red sign reading "Ohnsorg Theate" projects over the glass awning.
Richard Ohnsorg founded the ensemble in 1902 under the name Dramatische Gesellschaft Hamburg to give Low German a permanent stage. Over the decades, the theatre became an institution for Low German language art in the Hanseatic city.
The stage has been a place where Low German is spoken and kept alive since its founding. Audiences hear dialogue in this northern German language that has become rare in many everyday situations.
Tickets can be purchased through the website, and holders of the Hamburg CARD receive discounts on available remaining seats. It is advisable to check performance times in advance, as they vary depending on the programme.
Television recordings usually use Missingsch, a strongly dialect-coloured standard German, rather than pure Low German, so viewers outside the Low German region can follow. The first broadcast was on 13 March 1954, live from the NWDR studio in the Hochbunker am Heiligengeistfeld.
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