Theater Bielefeld, publicly owned and headquartered in Germany, founded in 1904, operates with approximately 60 employees. The company serves as the venue for Städtische Bühnen Bielefeld (Municipal stages Bielefeld), functioning as a Dreisparten Haus (three-department house) that offers plays, music (opera, musical theatre), and ballet. Its main performance venue, the Stadttheater am Niederwall (Municipal Theatre at the Lower Wall), was built in 1904 and renovated from 2004 to 2006. It is described as the largest theater in East Westphalia, presenting 500 performances annually. Under the direction of Michael Heicks, its resident orchestra is the 72-member Bielefeld Philharmonic Orchestra, which also performs symphonic concerts at the Rudolf-Oetker-Halle.