Martin Kušej
Encyclopedia
Martin Kušej is an Austrian theatre
and opera director and current Artistic Director
at the Residenz Theatre
in Munich
. According to German news magazine Focus
Kušej belongs to the ten most important theatre directors who have emerged in the German speaking world since the millenium.
Born into the Slovene-speaking minority in the Austrian State of Carinthia
he studied
German, Literature and Sport Sciences at the University of Graz
from 1979 until 1982. He then moved to the local University of Music and Performing Arts and graduated from the MA course in theatre directing in 1984. His final showcase production was Ultramarine by David Brett
; his Master thesis was on Robert Wilson
.
In 1986, after his alternative civil service, he became an assistant director at the State Theatre in Salzburg
from where he moved to the Slovenian National Theatre in Ljubljana
in the same function.
Since 1990 he has been working freelance in Slovenia
, Austria
, Italy
and Germany
. Together with Austrian set designer Martin Zehetgruber and dramaturg Sylvia Brandl he founded the independent group ’’my friend martin’’. They produced various plays for international festivals, e.g. Franz Falsch F Falsch Dein Falsch Nichts Mehr Stille Tiefer Wald based on works by Franz Kafka
.
In the 1993/1994 season he became a resident director at the Staatstheater in Stuttgart
, Germany. He received the Gertrud Eysoldt Prize for young directors for his version of Intrigue and Love
by Friedrich Schiller
which he had directed earlier that year at Stadttheater Klagenfurt
in Austria and which had produced a major scandal with audiences leaving the theatre within the first few minutes.
In 1996 he debuted as an opera director in Stuttgart
with “King Arthur
” by Henry Purcell
and John Dryden
. Since then he has directed operas in the renowed opera houses of Stuttgart, Verona
, Zurich
, Berlin
, Munich
, Vienna
, Amsterdam
and at the famous Salzburg Festival
. Towards the end of his time as resident director in Stuttgart he also worked at the Burgtheater
in Vienna
and at Thalia Theater in Hamburg
.
In 1999 he was invited to the acclaimed Berliner Theatertreffen
festival with his Hamburg production of Tales from the Vienna Woods by Ödön von Horváth
. Since the 2000/2001 season he has been working as a freelance director, again at the Burgtheater
and at Hamburg’s Thalia Theatre, amongst others.
From 2004 to 2006, he was the artistic director of the drama section at the Salzburg Festival, then moved on to work as a freelance opera and theatre director again in the 2006/2007 season. Since 2011 he is the artistic director of the Residenz Theatre
("Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel"), one of the most important German language theatres in the world.
Opera (Selection)
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and opera director and current Artistic Director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
at the Residenz Theatre
Residenz Theatre
The Residence Theatre or New Residence Theatre of the Residence in Munich was built from 1950 to 1951 by Karl Hocheder...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. According to German news magazine Focus
Focus
Focus, FOCUS, or foci may refer to:In science, mathematics or computing:*Focus , selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things...
Kušej belongs to the ten most important theatre directors who have emerged in the German speaking world since the millenium.
Born into the Slovene-speaking minority in the Austrian State of Carinthia
Carinthia
Carinthia may refer to:*Carinthia , a state of the Republic of Austria*Slovenian Carinthia, a traditional region of Slovenia*Koroška statistical region, the statistical region of Slovenia*March of Carinthia, in the Holy Roman Empire...
he studied
German, Literature and Sport Sciences at the University of Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
from 1979 until 1982. He then moved to the local University of Music and Performing Arts and graduated from the MA course in theatre directing in 1984. His final showcase production was Ultramarine by David Brett
David Brett
David Brett is an English actor, singer and arranger.He was one of the original members of The Flying Pickets, and arranged a number of the group's songs, including the number one hit Only You....
; his Master thesis was on Robert Wilson
Robert Wilson
Robert Wilson may refer to:In politics:* Rob Wilson , British politician and entrepreneur, MP for Reading East* Robert J. Wilson, candidate in the 1953 Manitoba provincial election* Robert John Wilson, Member of Parliament for Jarrow...
.
In 1986, after his alternative civil service, he became an assistant director at the State Theatre in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
from where he moved to the Slovenian National Theatre in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
in the same function.
Since 1990 he has been working freelance in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Together with Austrian set designer Martin Zehetgruber and dramaturg Sylvia Brandl he founded the independent group ’’my friend martin’’. They produced various plays for international festivals, e.g. Franz Falsch F Falsch Dein Falsch Nichts Mehr Stille Tiefer Wald based on works by Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
.
In the 1993/1994 season he became a resident director at the Staatstheater in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Germany. He received the Gertrud Eysoldt Prize for young directors for his version of Intrigue and Love
Intrigue and Love
Intrigue and Love , , is a five-act play, written by the German dramatist and writer Friedrich Schiller...
by Friedrich Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
which he had directed earlier that year at Stadttheater Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
in Austria and which had produced a major scandal with audiences leaving the theatre within the first few minutes.
In 1996 he debuted as an opera director in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
with “King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
” by Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell – 21 November 1695), was an English organist and Baroque composer of secular and sacred music. Although Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, his legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music...
and John Dryden
John Dryden
John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.Walter Scott called him "Glorious John." He was made Poet...
. Since then he has directed operas in the renowed opera houses of Stuttgart, Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
, Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and at the famous Salzburg Festival
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
. Towards the end of his time as resident director in Stuttgart he also worked at the Burgtheater
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and at Thalia Theater in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
In 1999 he was invited to the acclaimed Berliner Theatertreffen
Berliner Theatertreffen
Berliner Theatertreffen is a theatre festival in Berlin, Germany....
festival with his Hamburg production of Tales from the Vienna Woods by Ödön von Horváth
Ödön von Horváth
Edmund Josef von Horváth was a German-writing Austro-Hungarian-born playwright and novelist...
. Since the 2000/2001 season he has been working as a freelance director, again at the Burgtheater
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...
and at Hamburg’s Thalia Theatre, amongst others.
From 2004 to 2006, he was the artistic director of the drama section at the Salzburg Festival, then moved on to work as a freelance opera and theatre director again in the 2006/2007 season. Since 2011 he is the artistic director of the Residenz Theatre
Residenz Theatre
The Residence Theatre or New Residence Theatre of the Residence in Munich was built from 1950 to 1951 by Karl Hocheder...
("Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel"), one of the most important German language theatres in the world.
Selected stage productions
Theatre- 2011: The Vast Domain – Residenz TheatreResidenz TheatreThe Residence Theatre or New Residence Theatre of the Residence in Munich was built from 1950 to 1951 by Karl Hocheder...
, Munich - 2009: The She-Devil – BurgtheaterBurgtheaterThe Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...
, Vienna - 2007: WoyzeckWoyzeckWoyzeck is a stage play written by Georg Büchner. He left the work incomplete at his death, but it has been variously and posthumously "finished" by a variety of authors, editors and translators. Woyzeck has become one of the most performed and influential plays in the German theatre...
– Residenz TheatreResidenz TheatreThe Residence Theatre or New Residence Theatre of the Residence in Munich was built from 1950 to 1951 by Karl Hocheder...
, Munich - 2006: The Belle Vue – Thalia Theater, Hamburg and Stadttheater, KlagenfurtKlagenfurt-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
- 2005: König Ottokars Glück und EndeKönig Ottokars Glück und EndeKönig Ottokars Glück und Ende is a tragedy in five acts written by Franz Grillparzer in 1823. Based on the historical events surrounding the life of Ottokar II of Bohemia, the play deals with the fall of the king from the height of his powers to his death, having lost most of his supporters and...
- BurgtheaterBurgtheaterThe Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...
, Vienna - 2004: A Flea in Her EarA Flea in Her EarA Flea in Her Ear is a play by Georges Feydeau written in 1907, at the height of the Belle Époque.-Plot:...
- Thalia Theater, Hamburg and Stadttheater, Klagenfurt - 2002: Faith, Hope and CharityFaith, Hope and CharitySaints Faith, Hope and Charity , Church Slavonic: are a group of Christian martyred saints. Their mother is said to have been Sophia ; Sapientia is also mentioned in some accounts, though not as their mother. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, these were, in fact, two groups bearing the...
– BurgtheaterBurgtheaterThe Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...
, Vienna - 2001: Belief and Home – BurgtheaterBurgtheaterThe Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...
, Vienna - 2001: Edward II (play)Edward II (play)Edward II is a Renaissance or Early Modern period play written by Christopher Marlowe. It is one of the earliest English history plays. The full title of the first publication is The Troublesome Reign and Lamentable Death of Edward the Second, King of England, with the Tragical Fall of Proud...
- Thalia Theater, Hamburg - 2000: HamletHamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
– Salzburg FestivalSalzburg FestivalThe Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
and Staatstheater, Stuttgart - 2000: The Ghost SonataThe Ghost SonataThe Ghost Sonata is a play in three acts by Swedish playwright August Strindberg. Written in 1907, it was first produced at Strindberg's Intimate Theatre in Stockholm on January 21, 1908. Since then, it has been staged by such notable directors as Max Reinhardt, Olof Molander, Roger Blin, and...
– Thalia Theater, Hamburg and Stadttheater, Klagenfurt - 1999: CleansedCleansedCleansed is the third play by the English playwright Sarah Kane. It was first performed in 1998 at the Royal Court Theatre Downstairs in London. The play is set in a university which has been converted into some form of bizarre institution under the rule of the sadistic Tinker...
- Staatstheater, Stuttgart - 1998: Tales from the Vienna Woods - Thalia Theater, Hamburg
- 1997: Oedipus the KingOedipus the KingOedipus the King , also known by the Latin title Oedipus Rex, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed c. 429 BCE. It was the second of Sophocles's three Theban plays to be produced, but it comes first in the internal chronology, followed by Oedipus at Colonus and then Antigone...
- Staatstheater, Stuttgart - 1996: Richard IIIRichard III-People:*Richard III, Duke of Normandy *Richard III of Capua *Richard III of Gaeta *Richard III of England -Biography:*Richard III , a 1955 biography of the English king by Paul Murray Kendall...
– VolksbühneVolksbühneThe Volksbühne is a theater in Berlin, Germany. Located in Berlin's city center Mitte on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in what was the GDR's capital....
am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Berlin - 1995: ClavigoClavigo (play)Clavigo is a five-act tragedy written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1774. The lead role is taken by Beaumarchais. The play was written in just eight days in May 1774. It was published by July 1774 and is the first printed work to which Goethe put his own name, although the play was received...
- Staatstheater, Stuttgart - 1995: Die Unbekannte aus der Seine - Staatstheater, Stuttgart
- 1994: The Prince of HomburgThe Prince of HomburgThe Prince of Homburg, or in German Der Prinz von Homburg or Prinz Friedrich von Homburg, can refer to the following:-People:*Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg , also known as Prince Friedrich of Homburg -Artistic works:*The Prince of Homburg , a play written 1809/10 by Heinrich von Kleist...
- Staatstheater, Stuttgart - 1993: Herzog Theodor von Gotland – Staatstheater, Stuttgart
- 1993: Intrigue and LoveIntrigue and LoveIntrigue and Love , , is a five-act play, written by the German dramatist and writer Friedrich Schiller...
– Stadttheater, Klagenfurt and Staatstheater Stuttgart - 1992: The Dream as a Life – Schauspielhaus, Graz
- 1998: Faith, Hope and CharityFaith, Hope and CharitySaints Faith, Hope and Charity , Church Slavonic: are a group of Christian martyred saints. Their mother is said to have been Sophia ; Sapientia is also mentioned in some accounts, though not as their mother. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, these were, in fact, two groups bearing the...
– Mladinsko TheatreMladinsko TheatreMladinsko Theatre , founded in Ljubljana in 1955 as the first professional theater for children and youth in Slovenia...
, Lublijana - 1988: The Sinking of the Titanic - Schauspielhaus, Graz
- 1988: Play – K-Werk, Graz
Opera (Selection)
- 2010: RusalkaRusalkaIn Slavic mythology, a rusalka was a female ghost, water nymph, succubus, or mermaid-like demon that dwelled in a waterway....
– Bavarian Staatsoper, Munich - 2010: The Flying DutchmanThe Flying DutchmanThe legend of the Flying Dutchman concerns a ghost ship that can never make port, doomed to sail the oceans forever. It probably originates from 17th-century nautical folklore. The oldest extant version dates to the late 18th century....
– Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam - 2007: The Magic FluteThe Magic FluteThe Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
– Zurich Opera - 2004: CarmenCarmenCarmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
– Staatsoper, Berlin - 2002: Don GiovanniDon GiovanniDon Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
– Salzburg FestivalSalzburg FestivalThe Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart... - 2001: Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatraliLe convenienze ed inconvenienze teatraliLe convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali , also known as Viva la mamma, is a dramma giocoso, or opera, in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti...
– Staatsoper StuttgartStaatsoper StuttgartThe Staatsoper Stuttgart is a German opera company based in Stuttgart, Germany.-History:The Stuttgart Staatsoper forms part of the Stuttgart State Theatre , which is a a three-branch-theatre complex and represents the largest theatre of its kind in Europe... - 1999: SalomeSalomeSalome , the Daughter of Herodias , is known from the New Testament...
– Graz Opera House - 1998: FidelioFidelioFidelio is a German opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto is by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly which had been used for the 1798 opera Léonore, ou L’amour conjugal by Pierre Gaveaux, and for the 1804 opera Leonora...
– Staatsoper StuttgartStaatsoper StuttgartThe Staatsoper Stuttgart is a German opera company based in Stuttgart, Germany.-History:The Stuttgart Staatsoper forms part of the Stuttgart State Theatre , which is a a three-branch-theatre complex and represents the largest theatre of its kind in Europe...