Name: Vernissage (World Premiere) by Robert Seethaler
Start: 2026-05-13T21:30:00+02:00
End: 2026-05-13T23:30:00+02:00
Location: ETA Hoffmann Theater

When art, family, and turning points collide

With Vernissage, the ETA Hoffmann Theater Bamberg presents the world premiere of Robert Seethaler's first play on May 13, 2026, at 7:30 PM. The author, who has reached large readerships with novels like The Tobacconist and A Whole Life, focuses this time on the Kayserling Gallery in a finely tuned ensemble piece about change, loss, and the bitter charm of cultural farewells. ([bamberg.info](https://www.bamberg.info/veranstaltungen/vernissage_urauffuehrung_von_r-808893-12683241/))

A piece about art at the moment of its disappearance

Seethaler tells the story of a gallery whose best days are past, of generational conflicts, familial tensions, and an art world that wants to assert itself against the market and against time. The publisher describes the piece as an unrelenting farewell to traditional values and at the same time a stubborn nonetheless. Exactly therein lies its theatrical tension: between quiet irony, melancholic precision, and a tragicomedy with echoes of Chekhov. ([rowohlt-theaterverlag.de](https://www.rowohlt-theaterverlag.de/theaterstueck/vernissage-8086))

Direction, set design, and ensemble create a quiet stage experience

The production is in the hands of Jana Vetten, with set design by Genia Leis, music by Cornelius Borgolte, and dramaturgical support by John von Düffel. On stage are Florian Walter, Daniel Seniuk, Alina Rank, Barbara Wurster, Daniel Warland, Leon Tölle, Sophie Angehrn, and Marek Egert. This promises no loud spectacle, but a precisely working theater atmosphere, where language, pauses, and spaces matter as much as conflict and movement. ([bamberg.info](https://www.bamberg.info/veranstaltungen/vernissage_urauffuehrung_von_r-808893-12683241/))

Premiere atmosphere at the ETA Hoffmann Theater Bamberg

The ETA Hoffmann Theater is considered the central stage of the city of Bamberg and has a fixed ensemble as well as a varied program featuring classical and contemporary repertoire. For visitors, the central location at E.T.A. Hoffmann Square, the box office, public transport connections, and the barrier-free offers in the Grand House are particularly relevant. According to the organizer, the evening box office opens one hour before the performance; the house also offers wheelchair spaces and an inductive sound system in the Grand House. ([bamberg.info](https://www.bamberg.info/poi/eta_hoffmann_theater-4728/?utm_source=openai))

Tickets and conditions

For the performance, regular ticket prices in advance are listed from 14.50 Euros to 40.00 Euros, depending on the seat category. The official event page also states that tickets are on free sale, which describes the open ticket acquisition, not the ticket price itself. Anyone looking for an evening with literary substance, fine acting, and cultural-historical resonance will find a strong reason for a theater visit in Bamberg. ([eventim.de](https://www.eventim.de/event/vernissage-e-t-a-hoffmann-theater-e-t-a-hoffmann-theater-21517267/))

Conclusion: Vernissage combines the atmosphere of a quiet world premiere with the weight of a cultural piece about repression, hope, and final images. Those wanting to experience contemporary theater with literary depth should not miss this evening live at the ETA Hoffmann Theater. ([rowohlt-theaterverlag.de](https://www.rowohlt-theaterverlag.de/theaterstueck/vernissage-8086))