Playwright, poet, and author Heiner Müller (January 9, 1929 – December 30, 1995) is considered the most significant German dramatist of the 20th-century after Bertolt Brecht. Müller’s Hamletmachine represents an iconic and enigmatic text in post-dramatic theatre that has been highly influential on a global scale for writers, directors and dramaturgs. During the 1970s, Müller got permission to temporarily leave East Germany to visit America. Müller’s journeys in the U.S. included cross-country car trips and visits to San Francisco, Texas and New York City—an experience that ultimately changed the aesthetics of his work. The all-day symposium will trace Müller’s artistic and political thinking and artistic practice during his American journeys, where he witnessed the decline of Socialism at home and the rise of Neo-Capitalism in the U.S. International theatre artists, scholars, friends and former students will revisit the dramatist’s journey through America with screenings, an exhibition of documentary materials, excerpted readings of selected work, short lectures, and panel discussions.
New York City, NY; NYC