The Deutsches Schauspielhaus is a theatre located in the St. Georg quarter of the city of Hamburg, Germany. With a capacity for 1,200 seats, it places as Germany's largest theatre. On Sept. 15, 1900, by the initiativeof the Hamburg citizens as well as their donation, Deutsches Schauspielhaus was opened. It is a piece of new-baroque architecture, taken example from German Volkstheater in Vienna. Deutsches Schauspielhaus reshaped the theatre history in Hamburg and it remains one of the most advanced theatres in Germany today.

Since its opening, Deutsches Schauspielhaus under the leadership of its artistic directors, has enhanced the development and innovation of German theatre. In early years of the house, classics by Shakespeare, Goethe and Schiller were primarily staged. Though, during the World War II, Deutsches Schauspielhaus had to be nationalized, classical dramas rather than political works still dominated the program. The house survived the bombing of the war, and emerged as the strongest German theatre in post-war times. In early 1970s, along with the impact of new media and the development of avant-garde, Deutsches Schauspielhaus set an experimental stage, which avant-garde works could be performed in front of a small audience. The experimental stage later became the main place of the house. In late 1990s, Director Frank Baum made the house its own profile – great performances and attentive to the language of the theatre. Deutsches Schauspielhau was named “Theatre of the Year” by Theatre World and won numerous honors, which marked it as “culture ambassador” of the city.

In 21st century, new concept was brought in Deutsches Schauspielhaus by new artistic director Tom Stromberg, who combined other art forms such as painting and new media effect with theatre. Worldrenowned directors were also invited for productions. Deutsches Schauspielhau followed the trend of the era while keeping attracting young audiences. With the effort of Stromberg, in 2004/2005 season Deutsches Schauspielhaus was chosen “Theatre of the Year” in German-speaking region.

Since 2013/2014 season, Karin Beier has served as new artistic director of Deutsches Schauspielhau.

Program: John Gabriel Borkman

In the interpretation of Karin Henkel and designer Katrin Nottrodt, the realms of upstairs and downstairs, described by Ibsen as strictly separated living conditions at the Borkmans’, melt into a single dismal, oppressive non-location made of concrete, where people meet as if as a punishment and are obliged to perch on top of each other. There are no more escape routes of lies and dissimulation out of this bunker, this prison of souls, where the battles for power and people are fought to the point of total exhaustion. Henkel shows the grotesque decline of former public morals: Ghostlike conjurers of their pent-up malignancies, tortured and humiliated, who can only operate by torture and humiliation, the masked undead who cannot find peace and therefore leave no one else in peace either. The hostile sisters wrench their victims’ emotions and believe that this is love. But once old Borkman is dead, once the great child finally has to be given up for lost, their battle is revealed to be an evil, outrageous, eerily funny spectacle of two maternal monsters who, like two immature brats, will even fight for the applause they get for their celebrated degradations.