Gerd Heinz (born 21 September 1940) is a German stage, film and television actor and a stage director. He was also active as an academic teacher and theatre manager (Intendant). From 1989, he turned more towards opera. He staged a drama by

Thomas Bernhard Nicolaas Thomas Bernhard (; 9 February 1931 – 12 February 1989) was an Austrian novelist, playwright and poet who explored death, social injustice, and human misery in controversial literature that was deeply pessimistic about modern civilizati ...

at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Ama ...

in 2016, and '' Der Ring in Minden'', Wagner's ''

Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the ''Nibelung ...

'' from 2015 to 2018.

Career

Born in Aachen, Heinz attended the and founded a theatre group there, ''Die Stufe''. He studied German, philosophy and art history at the

University of Cologne The University of Cologne (german: Universität zu Köln) is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in the year 1388 and is one of the most prestigious and research intensive universities in Germany. It was the sixth university to ...

. At the same time, he pursued training as an actor and stage director at the in Cologne. Heinz began work at the Theater Aachen in 1962, where he played roles such as Tasso and

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th c ...

. He worked at several theatres, both as an actor and a stage director. He was a professor at the Musikhochschule Hamburg from 1968 to 1978, at times directing the opera class. He became director of drama at the

Staatstheater Darmstadt The Staatstheater Darmstadt (Darmstadt State Theatre) is a theatre company and building in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, presenting opera, ballet, plays and concerts. It is funded by the state of Hesse and the city of Darmstadt. Its history began in ...

in 1970. From 1973, he regularly directed at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg. He has also worked as an actor in film and television. From 1982, Heinz was Intendant at the

Schauspielhaus Zürich The Schauspielhaus Zürich ( en, Zürich playhouse) is one of the most prominent and important theatres in the German-speaking world. It is also known as "Pfauenbühne" (Peacock Stage). The large theatre has 750 seats. The also operates three st ...

for seven years. In 1997, he was appointed a professor at the

Hochschule für Musik Freiburg ' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right to ...

. Since 2008, he has worked as a freelance director. At the

in 2016, he staged

's drama ' with in the leading role. At the Stadttheater Minden, he staged Wagner's ''

'' in four consecutive years from 2015 to 2018, concluded by two complete cycles in 2019. A reviewer noted how he achieved great effect by using props sparingly and making efficient use of the limited space, focusing on the psychological aspects of the characters and their relationships. In 2008, Heinz received the E. T. A.-Hoffmann-Kreisler-Preis.

Literature

References

External links

* * * *
Laudatio auf Gerd Heinz zur Verleihung des E.T.A.-Hoffmann-Kreisler-Preises in Freiburg on 29 October 2008
eta-hoffmann-stiftung.de {{DEFAULTSORT:Heinz, Gerd German theatre directors 1940 births Living people People from Aachen University of Cologne alumni Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg