Ohnsorg-Theater comedies, the majority of them set in the typical environment of Northern German farmers, fisher men or merchants from Hamburg, the theatre also performs more serious works of traditional literature and musical theatre as well as adaptations in "Platt" of international material such as the stage version of Stephen King's "Misery" and original plays such as Tennessee Williams's "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", Robert Thomas's "8 Women", Willy Russell's "Shirley Valentine", Lawrence Roman's "Alone Together" or Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The theatre was founded by Dr. Richard Ohnsorg (May 3, 1876 - May 11, 1947) in 1902 as
Edwin Shirley illustrious Tour Manager and the two of them wrote the book on how to party on tour." Having built a successful trucking company, Shirley started a new company Edwin Shirley Staging which built stages for a number of large concerts including Live Aid in 1985. Shirley left both companies in the 1990s. While looking for rehearsal space in East London, Shirley viewed Three Mills Island, and realised the potential to develop a film studio there. After meeting with Peter Bazalgette, Shirley secured the site as the location for the first "Big Brother" reality TV programme, which went on to become