Bennewitz, Goethe, 'Faust': German and Intercultural Stagings

Bennewitz, Goethe, 'Faust': German and Intercultural Stagings

Weight 0.00 lbs
By David G. John
German and European Studies
University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division © 2011
World Rights
344 Pages 8 Colour Images, 8 B&W Images
Cloth
ISBN 9781442643338
Published Apr 2012
$65.00
Browse Inside
Request an Exam Copy
Description
Author
Contents
Fritz Bennewitz (1926-1995) was the director-in-chief of East Germany's Weimar National Theatre. Extraordinary in his capacity for cultural and linguistic adjustment, he directed productions in twelve countries, always adapting shows to make them meaningful to local audiences. Notably, Bennewitz conducted stagings of Goethe's Faust in four different languages over a series of seven productions —  three in pre-unification Weimar, one in the reunited Germany, and one each in New York, Manila, and Mumbai.

The first comprehensive account of Bennewitz's remarkable career, Bennewitz, Goethe, Faust is also a pioneering study of intercultural interpretations of Faust. David G. John brings to light previously unknown archival materials — including annotated playbooks, correspondence, translations, videos, and reception information —  as well as unpublished production photos from the stagings discussed in the book. Bennewitz, Goethe, Faust makes a cogent argument for this director's place alongside the twentieth century's greatest theatre innovators.

David G. John is a professor in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies at the University of Waterloo.

Abbreviations

Foreword

Documentation

Part I Bennewitz

1. Persona and Theory

  • Slim Recognition
  • Biography
  • Split Personality
  • Politics
  • Dogma and Theory

2. Peers

  • Erika Stephan
  • Dieter Görne
  • Wolfgang Engel

Part II The German Fausts: Chronicle of a Society

3. Hooray for Socialism! Weimar 1965/67

  • Background
  • Audience Preparation
  • The Performance
  • Essential Features
  • Critical Reception
  • The Party Line
  • Conclusion

4. Hooray for Socialism? Weimar 1975

  • Background
  • Audience Preparation
  • The Performance
  • Essential Features
  • Critical Reception
  • The Party Line
  • Conclusion

5. Socialism? Weimar 1981/82

  • Background
  • Audience and Cast Preparation
  • The Performance
  • Essential Features
  • Critical Reception
  • The Party Line
  • Conclusion

6. Alles für die Katz': Meiningen 1995

  • Background
  • The Performance
  • Critical Reception
  • Conclusion

Part III The Intercultural Fausts

7.   The First Black Gretchen: New York 1978

  • Background
  • The Performance
  • Performance Consciousness
  • Critical Reception
  • Conclusion

8. The Hindu Faust: Bombay 1994

  • Background
  • The Performance
  • Critical Reception
  • Aftermath
  • Conclusion

9. The Christian Faust: Manila 1994

  • Background
  • The Performance
  • Critical Reception
  • Aftermath
  • Conclusion

10. From Loyalist to Intercultural Pioneer

Part IV Documentation

Bibliography

Appendices

  • Highlight Biography
  • Travels
  • Plays directed
  • Holdings of the Fritz Bennewitz Archive in Leipzig: A Treasure Trove for Researchers

Index