In 1751, Ludvig Holberg visited her father's shop and asked her sister to work in the newly established Royal Danish Theatre, Det Kongelige, in Copenhagen; she declined, but Lisbeth asked if she could come instead.
She was accepted and made her debut on the stage as Pernille in Holberg's play "Kildererejsen" in 1752.
Danish society was not accustomed to this degree of public exposure and the profession of actress was not yet respectable; a result was that Lisbeth acquired a reputation among her contemporaries for arrogance.
In 1762, the theatre school was founded and she became the first female instructor; among her pupils were Caroline Halle-Müller, who became a famous actress in both Denmark and Sweden.
She gave her last performance in 1792 and died the year after in poverty: the theatre had to pay for her funeral.