Burgtheater and Max Burckhard

Burgtheater began in 1741, and is the leading playhouse in Austria. Burgtheater is the second-oldest theatre still in existence (second only to The Comedie Francaise), according to the Burgtheater website. The theatre was the former imperial court theatre in Austria and one of the most important theatres in Europe. The theatre seats 1175, with additional standing room space for 81 people. Burgtheater consists of a main theatre and three additional smaller locations, all located in Vienna.

Max Burckhard, a lawyer, became director of the theatre on May 12, 1890. He remained director of the theatre for eight years. He brought a fresh perspective to the theatre and introduced Sunday matinees at a reduced cost in order to widen their audience. He later remarked that the less wealthy audiences were the most "critically acute" (179). While director, he remodeled the auditorium in the spring and summer of 1897. He was dismissed from his role of director on January 20, 1898 because he closed the theatre mid-season for renovations.

Click below for a few images of the theatre and a photo of Burckhard:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39974385@N00/sets/72157594471593467/

Click for some non-scholarly information about Max Burckhard:
http://www.alma-mahler.at/engl/almas_life/burckhard.html

The information on Max Burckhard was taken from the following source:
Yates, W. E. Theatre in Vienna: A Critical History, 1776-1995. Cambridge: Cambridge U, 1996.