Justus Leibig Universität Giessen: a New Direction in German Theatre Training

Abstract

Since the post-war reorganization of education that began in 1949, the purpose and nature of German theatre training has perpetuated a division between performance and technical training, provided by vocational schools (or Hochschulen), while university programmes offer degrees in Theatre Science (Theaterwissenschaft), theory, or other academic areas. The course of studies at Justus Leibig Universität Giessen is one of the first to break away from this established model, offering a hybrid programme combining the study of theory and practice. Having featured a number of international guest artists as teachers, including Robert Wilson, Heiner Müller, John Jessurun, and Heiner Goebbels, the programme continues to be a centre of innovation in the changing landscape of German theatre education. Steve Earnest is an Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts at California State University, San Bernardino. His published work includes The State Acting Academy of East Berlin (Mellen Press, 1999), and articles in Performer Training (Harwood Publishers, 2001), Theatre Journal, Western European Stages, and The Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism. He is also active in southern California professional theatre.