Born in Merano, Ellmenreich made her stage debut as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust in 1908 at the Hoftheater Stuttgart (court theatre). She was a member of the company from 1909 to 1924.[2] It was named Württembergisches Landestheater from 1918, and later Staatstheater (State theatre). She appeared as a guest artist, for example in 1910 at the Cologne Opera and in 1916 at the Frankfurt Opera.[2]
In Stuttgart, Ellmenreich took part in numerous premieres. On 25 October 1912 she appeared as Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss.[2] The production was part of the opening festivities for the new theatre building, staged in the Kleines Haus (small hall) by Max Reinhardt,[3] with Maria Jeritza in the title role.[4] In 1917 Ellmenreich performed the part of the Märchenfrau in Siegfried Wagner's fairy-tale opera An allem ist Hütchen schuld!,[5] and in 1919 in Ture Rangström's Die Kronbraut (Kronbruden) after a play by August Strindberg. On 4 June 1921 she appeared in two roles in one-act operas by Paul Hindemith, the Woman in Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen (Murderer, Hope of Women) after a play by Oskar Kokoschka, and the Empress Bangsa in Das Nusch-Nuschi.[2] The first presentation of the two short operas by Hindemith, conducted by Fritz Busch and with Oskar Schlemmer responsible for stage, costumes and choreography,[6] caused a scandal.[6][7]
