A History of the Berliner Ensemble

Abstract

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.

Heinemüller's Conception of Political Ideas in The Hamlet Machine - Inheritance and Comparison with Brecht

“…The difference lies in the fact that the former shifts the emphasis from content to form, while the latter aims at political agitation. [24] It is clear from the strong similarities in these two views that Heiner Müller shows a clear identification with Brecht's view of political theatre and internalises this view as his own theoretical guidelines in other areas of artistic production. In addition to this, there is a similar statement of position in Wekwerth's commentary on Brecht's view of theatre: Brecht's plays that contain great political arguments are not evaluated as political simply because they have political themes or sing political songs, but because they adhere to a political stance and have to promote the message that our human relationships have to be be transformed.…”