Claus Peymann is dead

Claus Peymann passed away 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 remarks.

Peymann's significance was highlighted by numerous statements from the arts and politics: "The great magician of the theater is dead," praised Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. "He decisively shaped the theater over decades," responded Burgtheater director Stefan Bachmann, who emphasized Peymann's "promotion of contemporary authors such as Handke, Jelinek, and of course Bernhard." Peymann brought the city's theater scene "to the center of public interest," stressed Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig, while Cultural Councillor Veronica Kaup-Hasler (both SPÖ) noted: "Hardly anyone in recent times has so profoundly shaken, challenged, and redefined the understanding of political theater."

Theater Maker Claus Peymann Began Career in Frankfurt

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 numerous plays by him.

In 1971, he founded the new Schaubühne at Hallesches 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 director of drama 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 tenure as director of the Burgtheater, which he took over in 1986 following Achim Benning, was repeatedly referred to by Peymann as the "royal stage." Under his leadership, 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 controversies surrounding the premiere of Bernhard's play "Heldenplatz" in 1988 reached an intensity 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 directorship at the Burgtheater, 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 traced his path "through the lows and highs 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 erupted 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 a second time belatedly, 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 theater is dead. For many years, Claus Peymann not only wrote theater history but history on German-speaking stages. Especially at the Vienna Burgtheater, he quickly became a cult and also 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 brought 'the Burg' to prominence but also brought theater events 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 sustainably 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 uncovered 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."

Karin Bergmann, former director of the Burgtheater and long-time collaborator of Peymann in "ZiB 2": "He loved theater through and through, for him there was only theater. It dominated his life and thinking. His two foundations were the poet's word and what he could achieve with it. He understood the explosiveness in the texts. (...) He always believed that as a director, one could have socio-political influence and tried to deal with theater didactically."

Andreas Babler, Vice Chancellor and Minister of Culture (SPÖ), via press release: "As a theater maker, he shaped Austrian drama and the Burgtheater like few others - and never shied away from confrontation. Often enough, he fearlessly held up a mirror to Austria. His work is exemplary of the democratic power of art. Thank you for courage, Heldenplatz, and contentiousness."

Burgtheater director Stefan Bachmann: "Claus Peymann was one of the greats. He significantly shaped theater over decades. His tenures as director from Stuttgart to Bochum, then of course the Burgtheater, and finally the Berliner Ensemble are legendary. Perhaps his most important achievement is the promotion of contemporary authors such as Handke, Jelinek, and of course Bernhard. His presence in the German-speaking theater landscape was always overwhelming. The entire Burgtheater and I are affected and in mourning. Rest in Peace, dear Claus."

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 confront, 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 theater, a master of provocation and renewal. A director who always understood the stage as a battlefield."

(APA/Red)

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