Bennewitz, Goethe, 'Faust' : : German and Intercultural Stagings / / David G. John.

• VerfasserIn: John, David G.,
• Place / Publishing House: Toronto : : University of Toronto Press, , [2017]; ©2012
• Year of Publication: 2017
• Language: English
• Series: German and European Studies
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (344 p.)

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materials - including annotated playbooks, correspondence, translations, videos, and reception information - as well as unpublished production photos from the stagings discussed in the book.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.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- Part I. Fritz Bennewitz -- 1. Persona and Theory -- 2. Peers: Interviews with Erika Stephan, Dieter Görne, and Wolfgang Engel -- Part II. The German Stagings of Faust: Chronicle of a Society -- 3. The German Stagings of Faust: Chronicle of a Society -- 4. Hooray for Socialism? Weimar 1975 -- 5. Socialism? Weimar 1981/82 -- 6. 'Alles für die Katz': Meiningen 1995 -- Part III. The Intercultural Stagings of Faust -- 7. The First Black Gretchen: New York 1978 -- 8. The Hindu Faust: Bombay 1994 -- 9. The Christian Faust: Manila 1994 -- 10. From Loyalist to Intercultural Pioneer -- Appendix 1: Fritz Bennewitz: Biographical Highlights -- Appendix 2: Fritz Bennewitz's Travels -- Appendix 3: Plays Directed by Fritz Bennewitz -- Appendix 4: Holdings of the Fritz Bennewitz Archive -- Bibliography -- Index