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The Week in Germany: Culture July 13, 2007 Contemporaries and Historians Help Washington, DC area Theater Bring German History to Life
Michael Frayn’s hit 2003 play about Günter Guillaume, the devoted aide to former German Chancellor Willy Brandt who was equally devoted to his work as a spy for the East German secret police, will come to Washington DC following successful runs in London and on Broadway. While one does not need to be a student of German history to appreciate Frayn’s re-imagining of a relationship that was as marked by loyalty as it was by betrayal, actors at the Olney Theatre in Olney, Maryland, took advantage of the advice of the German Historical Institute and a number of contemporaries who worked with or near the play’s subjects. Fritz Fischer, who worked in the Chancellery during the Guillaume affair and later served as a close adviser to Willy Brandt and Brandt’s successor, Helmut Schmidt, met with the actors to brief them about one of the most difficult episodes in post-war German history. “They were mainly interested in what kind of people these were, but also the political context,” said Fischer, who served as an Executive Director at the World Bank after his time with Schmidt and Brandt “With films like ‘The Lives of Others’ and this play, you can see that there is a great interest in the history of the divided Germany even more than 15 years after reunification,” said Fischer. Theater-goers who are less initiated in the intricacies of the German-German relationship can also benefit from the perspective of eyewitnesses and experts. On July, 21, a special preview performance will include a panel discussion featuring East Germany expert Gerry Livingston and former David Binder, who covered the affair for the New York Times. Democracy runs from July 21 through August 12 at the Olney Theatre, with previews beginning July 18. Links:
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