 After Ackermann's death in 1771 Schröder and his mother took over the management of the Hamburg theatre, and he began to write plays, largely adaptations from the English, making his first success with the comedy "Die Arglistige".In 1780 he left Hamburg, and after a tour with his wife, Anna Christina Hart, a former pupil, accepted an engagement at the Court Theatre in Vienna.In 1785 Schröder again took over his Hamburg management and conducted the theatre with marked ability until his retirement in 1798.