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Heiner Müller, regarded by many as the greatest German playwright
since Bertolt Brecht, has a steadily growing following in the
United States. With a foreword by renowned scholar and director
Carl Weber, Müller in America presents writings
by 15 directors who have staged Müller’s work in the
United States and Canada from 1979 to 2002. The productions they
write about vary widely in venue, from regional theatre to a homeless
encampment, and represent a broad range of aesthetic approaches
and political attitudes. Reading through this collection, it is
clear that Müller’s texts have functioned, as he hoped
they would, as “a kind of supernova … [that] inspire
directors with ideas.” Edited by Dan Friedman and published
by the Castillo Theatre, an emerging center for Müller’s
work in the U.S., Müller in America is a must for
those interested in theatre, German literature, and/or the ever-shifting
border between art and politics.
To order call: 212-941-1234
Paperback: 0-9662471-1-6
$12
“Arguably, no 20th-century playwright since Brecht and Beckett
has had an impact on the contemporary theater comparable to that
of Heiner Müller. This journal is a most impressive documentation
of the rich variety of creative responses to Müller's work
in North America, from the earliest performances to the present.”
— Carl Weber, Stanford University
“I found Carl Weber's introduction to be especially valuable
for its overview with statistics and hypotheses concerning Mueller's
own experiences in America as well as his reception. The following
short articles are uneven—some being anecdotal personal
statements (Case), some more analytical (Lukac). One of the really
important accents in all the pieces is the attempt to address
the challenge or difficulty of making Mueller's texts meaningful
in North America. The various strategies the respondents mention
reveal some interesting insights into theater practices (at least
for someone like me, who is a scholar and not a practitioner).”
— Marc Silberman, University of Wisconsin; Managing Editor,
International Brecht Society.
“I have managed to place the journal in both York University
and University of Toronto libraries. At York it is proudly displayed
in the window with the rest of the faculty publications for the
incoming students and their parents to see.”
— Alex Lukac, author
“…It is really great, tying the theoretical with the
activist, proving that academic work does not have to be disconnected
from real life.”
— Joel Eis, University of North Dakota
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