Lund's Student Theater (LUST) is an English-speaking amateur theater ensemble that operates as a committee within The Academic Society (Akademiska föreningen) in Lund.
LUST arranges two productions per year, one in the fall and one in the spring. The repertoire consists of classical, contemporary, and self-written plays. Beyond this, they also offer various other activities, including script analysis, writing, acting, and improvisation workshops. Since 2022, LUST has been writing and performing Pub Theater productions, which are interactive performances created by LUST members.
LUST originally formed in 1933 as a theater organization tied to Lund University. The founders consisted mainly of female students who were excluded from Lund University's spexes. LUST was effectively replaced by Lilla Teatern (The Little Theater) during the 1950s following a failed tour. The Little Theater lost their stage in the late 1950s, however, which led to LUST restarted their operations. At times, LUST has used "The Little Theater" as its name or as a synonym.[1] Lund's Student Theater and The Little Theater contributed to the creations of separate fringe theater groups such as Teater Proteus, Teater 23 in Malmö, and Nationalteatern in Gothenburg.
Following a hiatus, LUST was restarted in 1981 as Lund's New Student Theater (Lunds nya Studentteater) (LnS). After 2007, the name was changed to Lund's Student Theater (Lunds studentteater). Since 1983, LUST has functioned as a committee within Akademiska Föreningen and is headquartered in AF Borgen.
In 2015, LUST began transitioning to operating in English rather than Swedish. Today, it is an entirely English-speaking organization.