Theatre - Theatre Scene and Trends

Annual meeting of the Dramaturgical Society “Speaking on Stage – and about Theatre”; © Wolfgang Katzameier

On the Stage, the Spoken Word Prevails

In January 2013 the annual meeting of the Dramaturgical Society took place in Munich; its theme: “Speaking on Stage – and about Theatre”More ...

New Scope – The Concept of Writer-in-Residence at Theatres

The German-speaking theatre has been increasingly integrating playwrights into specific theatres. The concept of the writer-in-residence has been greatly expanded.More ...

Deutsches Theater Berlin, © Iko Freese, DRAMA

How Long Is the Present? Time structures in the theater

In the theatre, attention is formed, focused and temporally extended under special conditions. Of the peculiar experience of the present on stage.More ...

Independent Theatre in Germany

The independent theatre scene in Germany is large and vital. As an ideal-type, it stands in contrast to the large sphere of state and municipal theatres.More ...

„Three Kingdoms“, director: Sebastian Nübling, Munich Kammerspiele; f.l.t.r.: Ferdy Roberts, Risto Kübar, Nick Tennant, Steven Scharf; © Arno Declair

Many Languages, One Stage – The Europeanisation of the Theatre

German municipal theatres have long been internationally networked. Now the linguistic boundaries are also beginning to fall away: foreign languages are being spoken on the German stage.More ...

Dramaturge of the Deutsches Theater Berlin 2005; © Iko Freese / drama-berlin.de

How Do You Devise a Theater Program?

Finding a play for performance is a process of lengthy discussions between dramaturge and artistic director. What has to be taken into account?More ...

Peter Handke's „Immer noch Sturm” (Still a Storm), Thalia Theater Hamburg; © Armin Smailovic

Family Teichoscopy – how theater makers explore national history

Authors and directors have recalled traumatic moments in the history of their homelands with autobiographical theater texts.More ...

Part of the cover of „Den Kommunismus mit der Seele suchen. Wolfgang Lanhoff – ein deutsches Künstlerleben im 20. Jahrhundert“ by Esther Slevogt; © Kiepenheuer & Witsch

Too Eastern for the West Germans, Too Western for the East Germans – A Biography of Wolfgang Langhoff

Esther Slevogt’s book about the actor, theatre director and general director Wolfgang Langhoff, is more than a classical artist biography.More ...

Rainer Werner Fassbinder rehearsing „Hilferufe“ by Peter Handke, antiteater München, D: Peer Raben, UA: 17.11.1968; photo: Ulrich Handl

The Master Only Sleeps – The thirtieth anniversary of the death of Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Thirty years after the early death of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, his extensive dramatic œuvre is enjoying more attention than ever before.More ...

International Institute of political murder (IIPM) „Hate Radio”; © Daniel Seiffert

The Poetry of the Factual – Possibilities and Limits of Documentary Theater

In recent years the German-language documentary theater has developed a great diversity of forms.More ...

Rimini Protokoll „100 Prozent Berlin“, Hebbel am Ufer Berlin, 2008; © Braun/drama-berlin.de

Who Owns the Play? – Copyright in Transition

The concept of the author has changed. A publisher now represents not only the traditional rights of an author, but also the projects of authors and authors’ collectives.More ...

Einar Schleef, „Sportstück“ (A Sports Play) by Elfriede Jelinek (Vienna Burgtheater, 1998); © Burgtheater Wien

The Chorus at the Theater – A Revival

The chorus used to be out on the German stage. In recent years it is enjoying a glorious comeback in many productions. Who would have thought?More ...

Philipp Löhle „supernova (wie gold entsteht)“, Uraufführung 2011, Mannheimer Nationaltheater; © Hans Jörg Michel

Mercantile Mentalities – The Financial Crisis and the Theater

Classics such as Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard are currently being performed particularly often. But when it comes to the crisis, theater makers are also looking for new ways of presenting a problem.More ...

„Radio ballet“ at Leipzig Main station; © Ligna

“To everyone!” - A Documentary on the Performance Group LIGNA

LIGNA is a group operating between radio art and performance art. They succeed in using radio as an instrument for politicising public space. A book now documents their interventions.More ...

Kevin Rittbergers „Kassandra oder die Welt als Ende der Vorstellung”, Wiener Schauspielhaus, © Alexi Pelekanos

Realities of Life – How the Theater Is Responding to the Theme of “Migration”

German municipal theater is increasingly taking up the theme of “migration”, but is often shy of doing this in the usual form of narrative theater.More ...

“artistic director’s merry-go-round”; photo: Kathrin Schäfer

Change and Continuity in Theatre

General directors come and go. “Eight years are enough”, announced Hasko Weber, general director of Schauspiel Stuttgart. Why the carousel of general directors must keep turning.More ...

„Hush, no more“; director: Corinna von Rad; photos © Simon Hallström

Local Border Traffic – Theater Makers between Musical and Spoken Theater

A species of theatre artists has arisen that might be called the musical theater project developer.More ...

Armin Petras, theatre director and the general director of the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin; © Bettina Stöß

Porsche Engine in a Trabi – Armin Petras on Kleist and His Impact

Armin Petras is author, theatre director and the general director of the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin. From November 4 to 21, the theatre will be host to a big Kleist Festival.More ...

Detail of the cover of Peter Michalzik's “kleist. dichter, krieger, seelensucher”, Propyläen Publishers, Berlin

Who Was Kleist? A new Biography on the occasion of the 200th Anniversary of the Poet’s Death

He was probably a jagged man, and there are phases of his life which are so obscure that they have driven students of Kleist to wild speculations. The critic Peter Michalzik has brought out a biography.More ...

„Pizza senza Mamma“, Direction: Brigitte Dethier, Young Ensemble Stuttgart; Photo: Young Ensemble Stuttgart

Deep Valleys, High Peaks, Wide Open Spaces: Directors of Children’s Theatre in Germany

In Germany, directors of children’s theatre take up deep subjects, expand horizons and are as innovative as the nature of performing art itself.More ...

Wrestling about quality; photo: Dirk Mehrwald, www.Ringerverband-SH.de

A Question of Time – Print or Online and how the Internet is Changing Theatre Criticism

In print media it is given less and less space, while at the same time the internet is accelerating theatre criticism to an undreamt of degree.More ...

The Train Station, the Citizens, and the Protest: Theatre on the Streets

In Stuttgart, the citizens are protesting. The theatre director Volker Lösch foresaw the conflict, put it on stage and is now energetically putting his oar in.More ...

Anton Graff: Heinrich von Kleist, 1808, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister Dresden (Wikimedia commons, public domain)

The Trial by Fire – the 200th Anniversary of the Death of Heinrich von Kleist

The theatre is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the death of Heinrich von Kleist – but on stage the party has long been in progress.More ...

ASSITEJ – International Association of Theatre for Children and Young

Of Petrol Stations, Backpacks and Fertile Clashes – The ASSITEJ Conference “Theatre and School”

At the Munich Schauburg, researchers presented projects with which federal states, cities and individual theatres hope to woo the audiences of tomorrow.More ...

Christoph Schlingensief; Photo: Aino Laberenz

Schlingensief’s Legacy

Christoph Schlingensief has left a very rich body of work, of which we shall be seeing and hearing much.More ...

The corridor of a dramaturgy of a German theater; Photo: Drama / Iko Freese

Ensemble of Newcomers – Generation Change in German-Language Theatre

In the 2009/2010 season there were more changes of management in German-language theatres than there have been in a long time.More ...

“Fight Club – Real Tekken” by the group God’s Entertainment; Photo: God’s Entertainment

In Search of the Creative Moment – Computer Games in the Theatre

Scepticism about virtual game worlds is waning. The theatre is increasingly taking up computer games and interactive media and incorporating them in stage reality. A look at the most recent inter-media encounters.More ...

„The promised city“, Boris Sieverts, 2010, Goethe-Institut Warschau; photo: Bartosz Ciszewski, Paula Furga

The Extension of the Theatrical Combat Zone – Art Projects in Urban Space

Are traditional stages no longer enough for performers and theatre makers?More ...

Elfriede Jelinek “The Merchant’s Contract” Koproduktion Schauspiel Köln und Thalia Theater Hamburg; director: Nicolas Stemann; photo: David Baltzer

“From Nothing Comes Nothing” – What Is the Crisis Doing to the Theater and What Is the Theater Doing with the Crisis?

At present authors, dramaturges and directors are biding their time with respect to the crisis.More ...

„Dr. Seuss’s ABC“ by the artistitic collective Cheap at the Theater an der Parkaue (2005); photo: Christian Brachwitz

The Open and Its Limits – Dance and Performance in Theater for Children and Young People

Dance and performance groups from the independent scene fructify children’s and young people’s theater with new forms of acting.More ...

The directors Knut Klaaßen and Monika Gintersdorfer with Franck Edmond Yao in the middle (performer in „Logobi #04“, „Logobi #05“ and „Othello, c’est qui ?“); photo: Sarah Bennani

Independent Or Not Independent – Boundaries Between State Theater and the Independent Scene are Dissolving

Many who have made careers in theater began in the independent scene.More ...

„Best Before“, a Multi Player Game by Rimini Protokoll; photo: Milan Radovanovic

Best Before – Rimini Protokoll Stages a Multi-Player Game in Vancouver

In the latest production of Rimini Protokoll there are again experts. But the main actor is the audience, which guide 200 avatars through a game of life.More ...

Luc Bondy's „Seagull“ (2001) at the Akademietheater in Vienna with Gert Voss and Johanna Wokalek; Photo: Ruth Walz

Everyone loves Chekhov: The 150th Birthday of the Playwright

Although Chekhov is not the most performed playwright on the German stage, no other is charged with such meaning.More ...

Roland Schimmelpfennig, Foto: Justine del Corte

Probing for the Pain Points – An Interview with Author and Director Roland Schimmelpfennig

He studied directing, then he decided to write. Today he is one of the most successful theater authors.More ...

Directed by Nicolas Stemann: “The Robbers” at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg; Foto: Arno Declair

Learning from Schiller – The 250th Anniversary of Friedrich Schiller’s Birth

Is Friedrich Schiller so attractive for the theatre precisely because there was always an historian in the dramatist?More ...

Adress of welcome by Joachim Sartorius, director of the Berlin Theatre Festival, at the symposium on “The Future of Contemporary Drama” (9.–11. October 2009); Foto: Piero Chiussi

“There’s Nothing Older than Yesterday’s Premier” – A Symposium on the Contemporary German Drama

A symposium in Berlin threw light on the situation of contemporary drama.More ...

Ver.di-demonstration in Berlin; Foto: Piero Chiussi

Strikes and Art – The Role of Unions in German Theatre

There have been battles, arguments and strikes. Which role play the Unions in German Theatre today?More ...

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