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Acknowledgments
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Acknowledgments I must begin by expressing my profound gratitude and debt to the countless German, Austrian, and Swiss theatre artists, from Gustaf Gründgens to Rimini Protokoll, who for the past half century have provided me with many of my most memorable theatre experiences and profoundly broadened and deepened my awareness of the possibilities of this incredibly rich art form. I hope that this book, singling out a relatively few of these, may serve as a modest expression of my gratitude. As always, many friends and colleagues have been extremely generous with their time, advice, and support in this project. Among these I must mention John Rouse, my stimulating companion at many theatre evenings, and Maria Delgado and her colleagues at the Contemporary Theatre Review. Obviously, German and Austrian colleagues have been especially valuable to me in this project. Erika Fischer-Lichte’s Institute für Theaterwissenschaft has been my home away from home in Berlin and its faculty and staff a great source of support. Special thanks must go to Christel Weiler, not only for her advice on German theatre and her ability to find difficult tickets for me over the years but especially for her willingness to read over this current book in manuscript, tirelessly correcting my errors in German and gently questioning my sometimes ill-grounded conclusions . The errors that may remain are surely mine and appear despite her good offices. Anyone who has been involved in the difficult and time-consuming process of assembling the images so important to a work of this kind will realize the enormous debt I owe to the superb work in this task that was undertaken for me by Professor Weiler’s student, Stephanie Schulze. It is impossible to exaggerate the importance to this work of my ability through the annual Theatertreffen in Berlin to see over the years many of the most notable productions of recent times. I must therefore thank the staff of the Berliner Festspiele, especially Gerlind Heyder and Jagoda Engelbrecht for their contributions to organizing this major event and for their excellent work in making it so positive an ongoing experience for foreign reporters like myself. Other German and Austrian colleagues whose interest and support have been extremely helpful include Christopher Balme, Margarete Rubik, Gabrielle Brandstatter, Gesa Valk, Gerta Honegger, Thomas Irmir, and Andrezj Wirth. Finally I must thank Holly Carver, the editor at the University of Iowa Press, and Tom Postlewait, editor of the Studies in Theatre History and Culture series vii in which this book appears, for encouraging me to complete and submit this work. Particular thanks must go to Tom’s detailed and astute reading, which was of incalculable help in bringing shape, focus, and clarity to the work. ■ A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s viii ...