Thomas Irmer (DE)
Dr. Thomas Irmer
born 1962 in Potsdam, G.D.R., lives in Berlin
academic career
graduated in English and German literature at Leipzig University, 1988
Fulbright research fellow at SUNY Buffalo, 1990/91
PhD with a dissertation on postmodern American fiction at Leipzig University, 1994
lecturer for American literature and culture at Leipzig University, 1992-96
lecturer for American drama and theater at Freie Universität Berlin, John F. Kennedy Institute, since 2003
current areas of teaching
American drama and theatre history, theatre criticism, history of East German theatre
possible areas of teaching
contemporary European theatre, German drama and Heiner Müller, German theatre, documentary theatre, festival politics, theatre on TV
professional career
1998 to 2003 editor-in-chief of the monthly journal Theater der Zeit (including relaunch 2000)
2003 to 2006 dramaturgical advisor for the international theatre season spielzeiteuropa at Berliner Festspiele (working, among others, for Robert Lepage, John Jesurun, Peter Brook, William Forysthe, Heiner Goebbels and Frank Castorf)
books include Metafiction, Moving Fictions, Moving Histories (1995), Frank Castorfs Volksbühne (2003), Die Bühnenrepublik - Theater in der DDR (2003), Luk Perceval - Theater und Ritual (2005)
various articles (some translated into altogether 15 languages) on recent drama and theater arts in the following journals and magazines: The Drama Review, Theatre, Western European Stages and Performing Arts Journal (USA), Journal of Beckett Studies (Great Britain), Didaskalia, Dialog, Notatnik Teatralny and Teatr (Poland), Shakespeare (Norway), Divadlo (Slovak Republic), Maska (Slovenia), Scena (Serbia), Ubu (France), Kulturos barai and Lietuvos teatras (Lithuania), Szinhaz and Vilagszinhaz (Hungary), Sirp (Estonia), La Tempestad (Mexico) et al
regular contributor to Theater heute (Germany), Didaskalia (Poland), Shakespeare (Norway) and for national public TV (ZDF) and radio (mdr)
author and codirector of four documentary films on theatre: Die Bühnenrepublik - Theatre in the GDR (2003, national TV award Grimme-Preis, 2004), Europe in Pieces (2004), Born 1968 (2008) and Heiner Müller (2009). Author and dramaturgical advisor of the TV documentary series Theaterlandschaften (2005-10)
recent international lectures and talks
London, Royal Academy 2008, "The Space of Speech: from Peter Handke to René Pollesch"
Maribor, Slovenia, International Conference on European Capitals of Culture 2009, "Lodz and The Polish Competition"
Berlin, German Association for American Studies conference 2010, "Chris Kondek's Performance Dead Cat Bounce"
Moscow, Net-festival Berlin Moscow 2010, "German Drama after Heiner Müller" (publication forthcoming)
New York, German House NYU 2011, "Introduction to Heiner Müller's Hamletmachine"
recent publications in English
"A Search for New Realities. Documentary Theatre in Germany", The Drama Review 50:3 (fall 2006), pp. 16-28.
William F. Condee and Thomas Irmer: "Experiments with architectural space in the German theatre", A History of German theatre, eds. Simon Williams and Maik Hamburger, Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2008, pp. 248-274.
"Aspects of National Theatres in Germany after 1945", National Theatres in a Changing Europe, ed. S.E. Wilmer, New York: Palgrave, 2008, pp. 173-9.
Gaby Hartel, Klaus Völker and Thomas Irmer: "The Reception of Beckett's Theatre and Television Pieces in West and East Germany", The International Reception of Samuel Beckett, eds. Mark Nixon and Matthew Feldman, London: continuum, 2009, pp. 75-96.
"German Wanderings: New Approaches to Beckett's Journey", Journal of Beckett Studies vol. 19 / # 2 (2010), pp. 276-83.
"Ilka Saal. New Deal Theater" (review), Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik vol. LVIII (4/2010), pp. 412-4.
theatrical activities
"Vaclav Havel. A tribute for three voices", produced at Berliner Festspiele, 2007
"Breweries: A Historical Guide through the Prenzlauer Berg Neighborhood", produced at Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, 2010
"Bob and Tom. The Pynchon-Dylan connection around Washington Square", produced at Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxmburg-Platz, 2011
jury member
Gebrüder Grimm Preis Berlin (theatre for the young), 2001
Hörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden (national radioplay competition), since 2003
Berlin Theatertreffen Stückemarkt (new German plays), 2005
Festival Politik im Freien Theater (independent theatre), 2005
Evaluation of private and independent theatres in Berlin, commissioned by the municipal government of Berlin, 2006
International Theatre Festival KONTAKT Torun, Poland, 2007 and 2008
Gebrüder Grimm Preis Berlin (theatre for the young), 2009
POSZT festival, Pecs, Hungary, 2010
Borstnikovo festival, Maribor, Slovenia, since 2010
Kinderstücke Mülheimer Theatertage, since 2010
member of ITI Germany and German Association for American Studies.
