Elisabeth Hauptmann - In Brecht's Shadow

Premiere - A musical and literary evening

with: Gerhard Kämpfe (reading & conversation) and Johannes Roloff (piano)

Elisabeth Hauptmann ranks among the most important yet often overlooked figures in German theatre history. She introduced Bertolt Brecht to John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera", translated and adapted the material - resulting in "The Threepenny Opera". She also played a crucial role in works such as "Happy End", "A Man's a Man", "He Who Says Yes" and "The Mother".

Between Hauptmann and Brecht developed an intense artistic and personal relationship. Historians assess her contribution to his success differently, yet her enormous influence on his work is undisputed. Their love affair was complicated and partly tragic: when Hauptmann learned in 1929 of Brecht's marriage to Helene Weigel, she attempted suicide. Nevertheless, she remained close to him throughout her life, and after his death worked to publish and preserve his legacy - noting in her will that she was never adequately compensated for her authorial work.

Katharina Thalbach, a student of Helene Weigel, dedicates this evening to a woman who deserves visibility. It is an exemplary story about female socialisation - not only in bourgeois society, but also in ostensibly progressive artistic and cultural circles.