The Ducal Court Theater was officially opened in 1871 with Carl Maria von Weber's "Der Freischütz". The architect of the building, Otto Brückwald, based his Renaissance design on the Dresden court theater built by Gottfried Semper, as he had already been involved in this building as Semper's employee. He subsequently also designed the Bayreuth Festival Theater. In 1904, a neoclassical façade was built in front of the semicircle of the theater to extend the foyer.

The house was temporarily closed at the beginning of the First World War, but continued to be used from 1915. The building remained intact during the Second World War and served as a training center for Wieland Wagner, who staged the Ring tetralogy here for the first time in 1943. During the years of the GDR, the Landestheater Altenburg remained an independent multi-genre theater.

In 1993, a thorough renovation began: within two years, the exterior façade was restored and the interior of the theater was also adapted to modern requirements; however, the basic architecture was retained. On October 2, 1995, shortly after the merger with the stages of the city of Gera, the renovated building was reopened with Weber's "Der Freischütz".

The Great House, with a maximum seating capacity of 492, has three tiers with proscenium and central boxes. The paintings on the round ceiling ceiling are very impressive. The golden decorations in the auditorium and the artistic paintings on the portal are also special features of the Altenburg State Theatre.

The theater's stage house is currently being brought up to the latest technical standards. During this time, the ensemble is performing in a modern theater tent on the fairground in Altenburg.

With musical theater, ballet, drama, the philharmonic orchestra and the puppet theater, from traditional pieces of high culture and light entertainment to sophisticated children's and youth plays and popular shows for the whole family, the theaters in Altenburg and Gera cater to a variety of tastes and age groups and reach around 150,000 people a year.

The outstanding ensembles of the five sections are known beyond the borders of Thuringia for the highest quality and innovative artistic aspects.