The theater company was founded by Alexander E. Franke and, along with the Neue Schaubühne in Munich, is the oldest German-speaking touring company of the post-World War II period. Alexander E. Franke founded the Grünen Wagens in
Erlangen in 1953. Later directors were
William Dieterle, Otto Ander, and most recently Thomas Stroux.
Heinz Hilpert directed Der Grüne Wagen in a long-planned performance of
Ödön von Horváth's
Himmelwärts in 1955. In 1958
Oskar Werner played in a production of
Hamlet with Der Grüne Wagen in a tour of Germany and Austria. The screenwriter, dramaturge and translator adapted the 1954 American film
Twelve Angry Men for the stage. Its world premier was at the
Munich Kammerspiele, directed by
Hans Schweikart and performed by Der Grüne Wagen. In the 1959/1960 it was the most popular play in German-speaking theaters.
Louis V. Arco (1899-1975) performed in Der Grüne Wagen in the 1964/1965 season. In 1965 Der Grüne Wagen was acquired by Hollywood film director
William Dieterle, then based in
Taufkirchen near
Munich, which he ran together with his wife, Charlotte Hagenbruch. After his wife's death in May 1968, he ran the theatre with his new wife, Elisabeth Daum, as a touring theatre. Dieterle directed the ensemble for several years, with the great
Elisabeth Bergner as his leading lady. Bergner toured with Der Grüne Wagen several times through Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. In October 1964 she starred as "Aurélie" in
Die Irre von Chaillot by
Jean Giraudoux at the
Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, then took the play on tour with Der grüne Wagen. ==Austria (1983 to present)==