The Schaubühne Berlin under Thomas Ostermeier: Reinventing Realism

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On the 20th anniversary of artistic director Thomas Ostermeier’s time at Berlin’s Schaubühne Theatre, this important study reflects on the contribution the theatre has made to contemporary theatre, not just in Germany, but around the world. Ostermeier has kept extending and refining the important notion of German Regietheater (directors’ theatre) with the Schaubühne Theatre being its internationally famous birthplace under the previous artistic direction of Peter Stein. Through doing so, the work produced at the Schaubühne has transgressed established divides of text-based and devised theatre, and blurred the borders between theatre and dance. Combining scholarly reflection with interview material, this essential collection investigates how theatre has been reinvented by the Schaubühne under Ostermeier’s tenure, bringing together international theatre scholars such as Erika Fischer-Lichte, Marvin Carlson, JitkaGoriauxPelechova, Benjamin Fowler, Ramona Mosse and Sabine Huschka. This study also considers productions by some of Ostermeier’s past and present collaborators, such as Katie Mitchell, Falk Richter and Sasha Waltz. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents List of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Preface Twenty Years of the Schaubühne Berlinunder Thomas Ostermeier: Ambitions, Achievements, Transformations Acknowledgements Part One The Schaubühne Berlin under Thomas Ostermeier: Reinventing an Institution 1 The First Season: The Mission (1999) Thomas Ostermeier, Jens Hillje, Sasha Waltz and Jochen Sandig The ensemble Dance and drama The research The objective 2 Between Philosophical and Sociological Theatre: The Political Regietheater of Peter Stein and Thomas Ostermeier at the Schaub ühne Berlin Erika Fischer-Lichte Peter Stein: New theatre for a time of transformation Thomas Ostermeier: Theatre, neoliberalism and individualism Political Regietheater: From a critique of bourgeois culture to a critique of globalization Notes 3 The Schaubühne’s Civic Mission in the Age of Globalization: An Imaginary Island that Probes Society Ramona Mosse Locating the Berliner Schaubühne The institution as a place of freedom The global Schaub ühne Notes 4 ‘Audiences Know Their Cause will be Treated’: Making Political Theatre at the Schaubühne Note Part Two Thomas Ostermeier at the Schaubühne: Reinventing‘Directors’ Theatre’ 5 Socialist Realism, Capitalist Realism, Ostermeier Realism Marvin Carlson Notes 6 Thomas Ostermeier’s Shakespeare Productions: The Mise en Action of Canonical PlaysJitka Goriaux Pelechová Dramaturgy through scenography ‘Directorial fabrication’ Storytelling Epic narration and exposed theatricality Notes 7 Hamlet Out of Joint: Variations on a Theme in Thomas Ostermeier’s Production, 2008–20 Elisa Leroy Diachronic change: The time is out of joint Putting on an antic disposition: Synchronic change through improvisation Notes 8 Sensing the North: Thomas Ostermeier and the Schaubühne in BrazilIgor de Almeida Silva Notes 9 Confronting the Present: Thomas Ostermeier’s Post-conceptual Regietheater Peter M. Boenisch Intensified games with exposed theatrality Reflecting on the new fascism through theatre Insisting on the common of theatre in a disjunctive society Notes Part Three The Schaub ühne’s Experiments Across Forms and Borders: Towards a New Realism 10 Theatre Towards the Liberation of Thinking: Experimenting with Realism(s) at the Schaub ühne, 2000–10 Jens Hillje An active dramaturgic politics of making theatre From new plays to new theatre languages Finding European theatre in a transnational world Notes 11 Re-scripting Realism: Katie Mitchell and Thomas Ostermeier at the Schaubühne Benjamin Fowler Lessons from Russia: ‘Doing rather than feeling’ Ostermeier’s and Mitchell’s Wunschkonzert Ostermeier: Putting flesh on the bones of a realist concept Mitchell: Stratifying Stanislavsky Dragging Shakespeare through time The critical force of contradiction Notes 12 Encountering the Rage from the South: Latin American Theatre at the Schaubühne’s FIND Festival Marina Ceppi FIND – a ‘comparative’ theatre festival Postdramatic frictions bridging political rage and enquiry Confronting the privilege of the spectators: Tijuana and Acceso Irruptions of past and present wounds: El Hotel and Paisajes para no colorear Conclusions Notes 13 Performing Bodies as a Scenic Playground of Social Realities: Choreographic Theatre at the Schaub ühne Berlin Sabine Huschka A new start with new concepts Transforming spaces: Sasha Waltz Pop frenzies: Constanza Macras The body politics of vulnerability: Anouk van Dijk Notes 14 REST/less EXHAUSTION, SEMI-CALM: Some Notes on Falk Richter’s and Anouk van Dijk’s TrustHans-Thies Lehmann Notes Index