Fritz Bennewitz (1926-1995) was the director-in-chief of East Germany's Weimar National Theatre. Extraordinary in his capacity for cultural and linguistic adjustment, he directed productions in twelve countries, always adapting shows to make them meaningful to local audiences. Notably, Bennewitz conducted stagings of Goethe's Faust in four different languages over a series of seven productions — three in pre-unification Weimar, one in the reunited Germany, and one each in New York, Manila, and Mumbai.

The first comprehensive account of Bennewitz's remarkable career, Bennewitz, Goethe, Faust is also a pioneering study of intercultural interpretations of Faust. David G. John brings to light previously unknown archival materials — including annotated playbooks, correspondence, translations, videos, and reception information — as well as unpublished production photos from the stagings discussed in the book. Bennewitz, Goethe, Faust makes a cogent argument for this director's place alongside the twentieth century's greatest theatre innovators.

Mathias Schulze, James M. Skidmore, David G. John, Grit Liebscher, and Sebastien Siebel-Achenbach are researchers at the Waterloo Centre for German Studies at the University of Waterloo and have published on aspects of German language and linguistics (Liebscher, Schulze), literature and film (John, Skidmore), and history (Siebel-Achenbach).

David G. John's profile page

‘This unique introduction to the work of a pivotal GDR Faust interpreter fills a gap in scholarship and offers stimulus for future research. Highly recommended’

Choice Magazine, vol 50:02:2012