The theater was founded in 1831 and was called ″Meininger Hoftheater″ (Meiningen Court Theatre) until 1920.

It is jointly funded by the state, city and county of Schmalkalden-Meiningen under the umbrella of the Cultural Foundation Meiningen-Eisenach, Thuringia.

Meiningen is the birthplace of the modern director's theatre which was famously promoted by the theatre's acting ensemble - dubbed as "Die Meininger" – under the direction of Duke George II during guest appearances throughout Europe in the years 1874 to 1890.

Between 1880 and 1914, the Meininger Hofkapelle was conducted by Hans von Bülow, Richard Strauss, Wilhelm Berger and Max Reger and as a guest by Johannes Brahms.

To this day, this tradition, its history and further successes has secured the Meininger Theater a special place in the theatre world.