The Berliner Ensemble was founded by Bertolt Brecht and his wife Helene Weigel in 1949. The company soon gained international prominence, and its productions and philosophy influenced the work of theatre-makers around the world. David Barnett's book is the first study of the company in any language. Based on extensive archival research, it uncovers Brecht's working methods and those of the company's most important directors after his death. The book considers the boon and burden of Brecht's legacy, and provides new insights into battles waged behind the scenes for the preservation of the Brechtian tradition. The Berliner Ensemble was also the German Democratic Republic's most prestigious cultural export, attracting attention from the highest circles of government, and from the Stasi, before it privatised itself after German reunification in 1990. Barnett pieces together a complex history that sheds light on both the company's groundbreaking productions and their turbulent times.
| ISBN: | 9781107663763 |
| Publication date: | 8th February 2018 |
| Author: | David University of Sussex Barnett |
| Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 507 pages |
| Series: | Cambridge Studies in Modern Theatre |
| Genres: |
Individual actors and performers Theatre studies |