Günther Rühle

He began work as a journalist for Frankfurter Rundschau in 1953, moving to the feuilleton of the Frankfurter Neue Presse a year later, and to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) in 1960, where he became an influential theatre critic. He was promoted to head of the department in 1974.[4] From 1990, he held the same position for Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin.[5][6][7]

In 1984, Hilmar Hoffmann, responsible for culture in Frankfurt, chose Rühle to succeed Adolf Dresen as Intendant (theatre manager) of the Schauspiel Frankfurt.[6] Rühle held the position until 1990, and was responsible for engaging Michael Gruner and Dietrich Hilsdorf as regular directors, and actors such as Martin Wuttke and Thomas Thieme. In 1985, Hilsdorf directed the controversial Fassbinder play Der Müll, die Stadt und der Tod ("Garbage, City, Death") in the Kammerspiele of the Schauspiel Frankfurt. Due to alleged antisemitic tendencies in the play, protesters occupied the stage and prevented its world premiere.[6] Rühle staged a performance for around 150 critics and theatre personnel on 4 November, which the publisher counted as the world premiere. The Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper reported that the Frankfurt theatre had proven that the play was not marred by antisemitism.[8] However, due to continued protests, the play was not performed for the public for safety reasons.[6]

Rühle promoted the director and poet Einar Schleef,[4] who, coming from East Germany, was at first not accepted by the paper's audience and critics, but whose 1988 production of Gerhard Hauptmann's Vor Sonnenaufgang ("Before Sunrise") was invited to the Berliner Theatertreffen. Hoffmann offered an extension of Rühle's contract in 1989, but he declined.[6][9]

Rühle wrote a book in two volumes about the history of theatre criticism in Germany, Theater für die Republik. Im Spiegel der Kritik, which appeared in 1988. From 1995, he worked as a freelance editor.[6] He was the principal editor of an edition of Alfred Kerr's complete works, by S. Fischer Verlag. He was also president of the Alfred Kerr Foundation in Berlin,[10] and editor of the complete works by Marieluise Fleißer by Suhrkamp.[5] In 2007, he published the first volume of a history of theatre in Germany, Theater in Deutschland 1887 bis 1945. Seine Ereignisse – seine Menschen (Theatre in Germany 1887 to 1945. Its events – its people) in S. Fischer, followed in 2014 by a second volume about the years 1945–1966.[7] The work was praised for rich details, and has become a standard in the field.[11] A third volume is planned, to be authored, at Rühle's request, by Hermann Beil and Stephan Dörschel.[7]

He died in Bad Soden am Taunus, Hesse, on 10 December 2021, at the age of 97.[4][6][7]