Brecht Bertolt - Daring to play: a Brecht companion

I particularly wish to thank Professor Nesta Jones and the Research Committee of Rose Bruford College for generously providing a grant towards this translation. Manfred Wekwerth has had a close relationship with the college since he was invited to lead its Symposium on Brecht in 2000 and was awarded an Honorary Fellowship in 2002. It is fitting, therefore, that the college should now be able support the translation of the first of his books to appear in English.

It has been a great pleasure to work with Rebecca Braun on this translation. Through our continual dialogue her care and attention to detail has enabled me to learn so much more about the things I thought I knew. I know that Rebecca herself, in turn, would like to thank Tom Kuhn and Ritchie Robertson for their advice in response to occasional issues of translation.

For permission to include photographs, I would like to thank the following: Vera Tenschert, Hilda Hoffmann, Manfred Wekwerth, Tassilo Leher, Getty Images and ArenaPAL. I would also like to thank the following people for their help in tracing images: Frau Uta Kohl and Dr Asja Braune of Bertolt-Brecht-Archiv/Akademie der Knste, Grischa Meyer and Amy Stolarczyk. Every effort has been made to seek permission to reproduce copyright material before the book went to press. If any proper acknowledgement has not been made, the publisher would invite copyright holders to inform them of the oversight. I would also like to thank the staff of the Library of Rose Bruford College for their support in tracking texts and other material.

At Routledge, I would like to thank Talia Rodgers for her enthusiasm, great encouragement and advice, and Niall Slater for his unfailing support and guidance.

I owe thanks to Bernd Keler and Chris Baldwin, theatre directors and friends, who brought Manfred Wekwerth to lead a symposium in the UK a decade ago. Finally, I want to express my gratitude to two people who have been particularly generous with their time and help: to Grit Eckert for her boundless patience and support in assisting me in correspondence; and to Angelika Haas for her friendly advice on many matters and for all she has done in helping me to secure illustrations for this book.

AH

This chronology includes principal productions (at Berliner Ensemble unless specified).

Illustration 13 (l. to r.) Carlo Ponti, Sophia Loren, Vittorio de Sica, Wolf Kaiser, Kurt Bork, Manfred Wekwerth, Helene Weigel (Berlin, 1963). (Photograph by Karl Leher, courtesy of Tassilo Leher.)

Illustration 14 With Helene Weigel in canteen of Berliner Ensemble (1965). (Photograph courtesy of Vera Tenschert.)

Illustration 15 (l. to r. facing camera) Hilmar Thate, Manfred Wekwerth, Paolo Grassi, Giorgio Strehler, Helene Weigel (Venice 1966). (Photograph in possession of Manfred Wekwerth.)