Burgtheater 1976–2009: Aufführungen und Besetzungen ed. by Katharina Fundulus (review)

The useful reference work Burgtheater 1976–2009: Aufführungen und Besetzungen, which was officially edited by the Burgtheater and Katharina Fundulus, “schließt eine Lücke, die seit 1976 besteht. In diesem Jahr hat der damalige Österreichische Bundestheaterverband anlässlich des 200. Geburtstages des Burgtheater ein Verzeichnis der Jahre 1776–1976 herausgegeben, das diesem Band als Vorlage diente” (7). While in the time that has passed there would be a need to cover the last four years as well, this large but handy chronicle and directory of activities at one of the most important German-language stages is an important reference for scholars examining the history of German and Austrian theater in what was a culturally very active time. Claus Peymann served as director of the Burgtheater from 1986 to 1999, during which time Thomas Bernhard’s and Elfriede Jelinek’s most significant plays were staged and Peymann elevated himself and his theater to a position from which the institution contributed to political and cultural changes in Austria, which were especially strong given that his tenure at the Burgtheater coincided with Kurt Waldheim’s presidency and Jörg Haider’s most troubling period. Ultimately, Peymann changed the stage that he had taken over from Achim Benning and that he turned over to Klaus Bachler.

The majority of this large volume is a chronicle, starting with the 1976–77 season, that lists each premiere at the Burgtheater by the date of the first performance and provides information on directors and actors. Additionally, the reader will also find out how many performances of any play were staged and at which venue of the Burgtheater—at the Kasino, Akademietheater, or Burgtheater, or as a Gastspiel—the play was performed as well as how many times. The date of the final performance, if applicable, is also given as well as the date of any recordings, primarily by Austria’s orf television, if the play was recorded. Needless to say, this information alone is incredibly useful to all scholars working on Austrian theater.

Following the detailed chronicle of plays at the Burgtheater is a listing of guest performances that the Burgtheater staged elsewhere as well as guest performances from other theaters at the stages of the Burgtheater. The book also includes a very useful alphabetical index of plays at the Burgtheater, allowing scholars to quickly look up when any play was staged. This is also followed by a chronological listing of Matineen, Lesungen, and Sonderveranstaltungen. This is very interesting because throughout its history, the Burgtheater has often been used as a forum for public discourse.

Finally, there is a very large index that helps the reader navigate the first two thirds of the book, in which one may look up anyone who had any active role at the Burgtheater over these thirty-three years, including writers, translators, editors, but of course also actors, stagehands, and many more, which will help any researchers to find anyone connected to the Burgtheater in this period and allow them to identify with which projects a particular person may have been involved. There is also a chronological listing of the honors and awards that were awarded in the Burgtheater, grouped by the award-donating institution, which of course is an indicator of how this theater is much more than just a performance hall. The very last table in this book features a “political chronology,” from which the reader may learn who was the federal minister in charge of the theater during this time, followed by parallel columns informing who was in charge of administration, and who was the künstlerische Leiter, kaufmännischer Leiter, and the leaders of the Ensemblevertretung, Aufsichtsrat, and Publikumsrat. It comes as no surprise that an institution that is as politically charged as the Burgtheater would also provide this information at the end of the chronicle.

The book does not offer any interpretation of events at the Burgtheater, but this should not be expected from an official...