Theater landscapes

In 1890, an imposing theater temple was inaugurated in Göttingen to finally bring the theater on a par with the university.
But anyone who believes that science and culture are irreconcilable opposites is mistaken.
In fact, a lively exchange quickly developed: young students tried their hand at acting, while music and theater scholars found a stage to put their scientific discoveries into practice.
Like the scientist Oskar Hagen, who rediscovered Handel operas at the beginning of the 20th century and thus founded the Göttingen Handel Festival, which is still popular today.

After the end of the Second World War, one or two Göttingen theatergoers were certainly surprised to hear a resounding "God save the Queen" before the performance instead of the usual stage murmur - the British occupying forces had ordered the British national anthem to be played before every performance.
The people of Göttingen were given an anthem of a completely different kind 20 years later, when the French chanson singer Barbara immortalized the city in a song with her unmistakable accent.

In 1950, Hans Hilpert took up his post as artistic director and gave the theater its current name.
Not only the people of Göttingen will be grateful to him for promoting a young acting talent for a long time to come.
Götz George still remembers with great pleasure his first steps on the Göttingen theater stage and the family atmosphere that prevailed in Hilpert's ensemble at the time.

In 1968, Hilpert's successor Günther Fleckenstein openly criticized the continuity of personnel that prevailed in many places after the Second World War with the world premiere of Rolf Hochhuth's "Juristen".
The play brought him international attention and he became the first German director to stage the play at the Moscow Artists' Theater.

Like many of his predecessors, the current artistic director Mark Zurmühle is once again seeking an exchange with the university and promoting young talent in particular.
Will he come across an exceptional talent like Götz George, as Heinz Hilperts once did?

First broadcast: June 1, 2010, 7:00 p.m., ZDFtheaterkanal.