ABSTRACT
Much of what is seen in German theatre today feels sui generis or even ex nihilo but has precedent in the twentieth century, particularly in the work of Bertolt Brecht and his close collaborators Caspar Neher, Teo Otto, and Karl von Appen. The contemporary designers, the author find most remarkable and discusses in this chapter are Bert Neumann; Aleksander Denić; Katrin Brack; and Jan Pappelbaum. The chapter focuses on Rimini Protokoll's smart-phone and tablet-enabled explorations of cities and personal stories, as well as the dadaistic sculpture-park-like stages, outfitted with DJ-mixing tables, constructed by andcompany&Co. Born in 1958 in Hamburg and trained at the Staatliche Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf under Karl Kneidl, Brack began her career as an independent designer by working with Belgian director Luk Perceval. The models Pappelbaum created for Thomas Ostermeier's Ibsen productions radiate a glossy realism, resembling the rooms pictured in the pages of Architectural Digest, perfectly arranged and sterile.
