15 Years of Bunte Bühne Lübbenau
At a time when theaters were closing in other cities, Lübbenau built one!
Matthias Härtig, who served as managing director of the Bunte Bühne Lübbenau until 2021, still remembers the early days well: “On a gray day in early 2007, five people were wandering through the vacant lot at the former Lübbenau rail yard. The leader, Peter Lippold, who was head of the city’s cultural affairs office at the time, spoke about the plan to set up a small theater in the former lubricant warehouse.”
After the turn of the millennium, Lübbenau’s city leaders saw potential in the railroad properties that were up for sale, particularly the former railroad maintenance yard. Many Lübbenau residents once found work there. Fortunately, the visionaries prevailed in the city council; otherwise, the area around the train station would likely look like it does in some neighboring towns, with station buildings left to rot away. Around 2005, there was still no talk of Track 3, the Kulturhof, or the Bunte Bühne, but there were plans for a small performing arts venue—now it was time to bring this vision to life.
As luck would have it, the “SachsenDryer”—composed of Sylvia Burza, Matthias Härtig, and Matthias Greupner—was touring the region from stage to stage at the time. Annerose Krause, a native of Lübbenau who was working at the Cottbus Theater at the time, arranged for the trio to perform at the 2006 year-end event at Lübbenau City Hall.
Matthias Greupner recalls: “That was a stroke of luck for us, the city, and the region! We got to talking with Peter Lippold, and he immediately showed us the plans for a cabaret theater that were already complete. Since they were looking for a suitable operator, we submitted a proposal under the leadership of Matthias Härtig.”
Sylvia Burza: “We had, so to speak, walked right into an open door, and soon presented this comprehensive proposal, with very honest figures that showed what such a small cultural organization would continue to cost the city in the future. We later learned that the proposal was hotly debated but ultimately approved. When construction actually began in 2011, I was often on site, watching the progress unfold in disbelief. The former lubricant warehouse was transformed into a gem—just for us. We were looking forward to “our” theater! And on November 11, 2011, the curtain went up for us!”
Jan Schönberg has been the new artistic director since 2022. “I feel it is my duty to carry on what the ‘SachsenDryer’ once established and made a success,” says the Finsterwalde native, who has stage experience in Senftenberg and other places. For him, these are the tried-and-true pillars: Women’s Day, Summer Theater, the Christmas Mystery, and Children’s Christmas.
The premiere of Matthias Härtig’s crime comedy “Leiche im Keller” is on November 28, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.!
Sample photos:
