Wittenberg has a long tradition of cultural events. The Central German State Theatre ("Mitteldeutsches Landestheater") reached a great importance in GDR times. Since 1996, the town has staged open-air theatre shows based on the Lutheran history still alive in many historical places of the ancient town. As highlights, in 2001 and 2005, Fernando Scarpa became the artistic director of the ""Bühne Wittenberg"" (Stage Wittenberg), a project for theatre, art and culture in the whole of Germany which attracts many visitors to the town and whose success is known European-wide. On 2002 and 2003 Stefano Vagnini, Italian composer and organist created the music for "Thesys" and "Luther Stories". Prince Hamlet is said to have studied in Wittenberg and it was the supposed home of Dr. Faustus.