Till 1875 Steiner was co-manager with the actress and singer Marie Geistinger; together, they "set a tone for the repertoire that lasted until the end of the century,"[4] despite criticism from the conservative press.

[9] He produced both well-proven and new stage works by Offenbach but also discovered young talent such as the playwright Ludwig Anzengruber, the last prominent author of folk plays, and the composer Carl Millöcker, who became the Theater's Kapellmeister in 1869.

[11] As it happened, Strauss, piqued by the Viennese successes of Jacques Offenbach, had already started working on an operetta, a project that fell through when it was discovered that his intended lead, Josefine Gallmeyer, was unavailable.

The latter is notable for introducing, as Dr. Falke, Alexander Girardi, who stayed with the Theater's company for twenty two years and was a central figure in many successful operetta productions.

Steiner organized a playwright's guild, staged yearly benefit shows, and at the time of his death was one of the most popular figures in Vienna.