Claus Peymann is dead

Claus Peymann died on Wednesday at the age of 88 in Berlin, as reported by the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" on Wednesday evening, citing Peymann's family environment. Peymann will be remembered not only for his legendary Thomas Bernhard productions but also for his striking sayings.

Theater Maker Claus Peymann Dies at 88

Claus Peymann was born on June 7, 1937, in Bremen. He began his career as a director and theater manager from 1966 to 1969 as the chief director at the Theater am Turm (TAT) in Frankfurt, where he premiered works such as Peter Handke's "Offending the Audience" (1966), "Kaspar" and "The Ward Wants to Be Guardian" as well as Gerlind Reinshagen's "Doppelkopf". In 1970, he established his long-standing working relationship with the Austrian author Thomas Bernhard with the premiere of Bernhard's first play "A Party for Boris" at the Hamburg Schauspielhaus, premiering countless plays by him.

In 1971, he founded the new Schaubühne at Halleschen Ufer in Berlin together with Peter Stein. There, he directed the premiere of Handke's "Ride Across Lake Constance" (1971). From 1974, Peymann was the drama director at the Württemberg State Theaters in Stuttgart, where he gained attention with his classic productions ("The Robbers", "Käthchen of Heilbronn", "Faust I and II", "Iphigenia"). In 1977, the collection of donations for the dental treatment of Baader-Meinhof prisoners caused a stir. Peymann then declined an extension of his Stuttgart contract and took over the management of the Schauspielhaus in Bochum, which under his direction from 1979-86, according to expert critics, developed into one of the best theaters in Germany.

Heldenplatz Premiere Sparked Discussions

His Burgtheater directorship, which he took over in 1986 following Achim Benning, was later repeatedly referred to by Peymann as the "king stage". Under him, 252 premieres, including 51 world premieres, were staged at the Burgtheater, where he remained loyal to authors Handke and Bernhard as well as Peter Turrini and Elfriede Jelinek - and not always did the most spectacular actions take place on stage. A "Zeit" interview sometimes caused more of a stir than most performances could.

The disputes surrounding the premiere of Bernhard's play "Heldenplatz" reached an intensity in 1988 that was previously unknown and made the premiere "perhaps the most legendary date in Austrian theater of the Second Republic" (Peymann in "News"). With 120 performances, "Heldenplatz" became the most performed production of Peymann's directorship.

"Ignorant and Madman"

After his Burgtheater directorship, he led Brecht's former theater at Schiffbauerdamm from 1999 to 2017. He called the final auction with treasures from the Berliner Ensemble's collection "Peymann Cleans Up", and his 2016 published "collected works", in which he traces his path "through the depths and heights of theater art", "Murder and Manslaughter".

When Peymann was awarded the "Nestroy" theater prize for his life's work in Vienna in 2002, the laudation by André Heller and remarks by the moderator Andrea Eckert caused political uproar afterward. Shortly thereafter, Peymann renounced the prize "under the impression of the unworthy spectacle and provincial fuss that broke out around the Nestroy prize award to me".

Only ten years later, on the occasion of a "birthday snack" for his 75th at the Berliner Ensemble, he accepted the lifetime achievement award for the second time, after the statue had been kept in the Theater Museum in Vienna in the meantime. In 2012, he was also appointed an honorary member of the Burgtheater by the then Burgtheater director Matthias Hartmann. Colleague Maria Happel characterized him succinctly and aptly in her laudation at the time: "You are both, the 'Ignorant and the Madman'."

Politics mourns Claus Peymann

The death of the long-time Burgtheater director Claus Peymann prompted numerous reactions on Wednesday evening. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen wrote on "X": "The Peymann era has come to an end, the great magician of the theater is dead. For many years, Claus Peymann not only wrote theater history but also history on the German-speaking stages. Especially at the Vienna Burgtheater, he quickly became a cult figure and a point of contention. Claus Peymann was a contentious figure who struck sparks of theater from this contention like hardly anyone else."

Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ), via press release: "The death of Claus Peymann shakes the theater world. Especially the theater city of Vienna. Because the German theater maker, as director of the Vienna Burgtheater - building on the work of his predecessor Achim Benning - not only elevated the status of 'the Burg' but also brought the theater scene in our city to the center of public interest."

Veronica Kaup-Hasler, Vienna's City Councilor for Culture (SPÖ), via press release: "Hardly anyone in recent times has so profoundly shaken, challenged, and redefined the understanding of political theater. Claus Peymann stood for an actor's theater and a close connection to the authors of his time. (...) He understood theater as a political force that exposed social grievances and challenged the unconditional dialogue with each other."

Werner Kogler (Cultural Spokesperson for the Greens), via press release: "With Claus Peymann, the theater world loses one of its most distinctive and influential personalities. His work as a director and artistic director has significantly shaped the German-speaking theater landscape over decades and repeatedly sparked lively discussions. Peymann was an artist who understood and lived theater as a critical mirror of society."

Shock over the death of Claus Peymann also in Germany

Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) on "X": "Claus Peymann was one of the most influential figures in modern German theater. With commitment, courage to engage in confrontation, and great passion, he significantly shaped Berlin's culture. We lose a contentious spirit - and a great theater maker."

German Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer (independent) on "X": "We bow to a great life's work and mourn Claus Peymann. He was a titan of the theater, a master of provocation and renewal. A director who always understood the stage as a battlefield."

(APA/Red)

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