Die Temperamente des Theaters

Photo: SUB Hamburg

‘“Die Temperamente des Theaters.” Leopold Jessner’s Staging Books from the Thalia Theater’, an UWA exhibition at the Hamburg State and University library, presents the Hamburg manuscripts of one of the leading theatre directors of the Weimar Republic for the first time.

With his abstract design of the stage space and his interventions in the literary texts, Jessner (1878–1945) was a pioneer of today’s ‘Regietheater’. Forced to emigrate in 1933, most of the material he produced as director of the Prussian State Theatre was lost in exile. This makes the written artefacts from his time as a young director and stage manager at the local Thalia Theater, where he worked from 1904 to 1915, all the more valuable. Despite their importance, however, these documents, which are preserved in the Hamburg Theatre Collection, have remained almost completely unnoticed until now.

In cooperation with Thalia Theater, the Cluster of Excellence ‘Understanding Written Artefacts’ (UWA) and the Hamburg State and University Library are now showing these written artefacts to the public for the first time. From 25 September to 27 October 2024, ‘“Die Temperamente des Theaters”: Leopold Jessner’s Staging Books from the Thalia Theater’ shows the director’s, stage manager’s, prompt and role books from Jessner’s productions in the context of contemporary working life at the theatre. These books not only offer a fascinating insight into the processes behind the scenes, but also open up new perspectives on the repertoire of the time and the emergence of directing as an independent artistic position. In addition, playsheets and postcards from the Thalia are on display. The exhibition also addresses the history of the theatre’s construction.