Peter Stein

Peter Stein in conversation with Manfred Osten (Goethe und das Glück, 2017) about the topicality of the Greek tragedy Oresteia by the poet Aeschylus.

Law as the cornerstone of our liberal democracy is exposed to increasing threats, for example from authoritarian, populist forces that question the rule of law. Against this backdrop, what is more topical than the story (disturbingly portrayed in the third part of Aeschylus’ Oresteia trilogy) of the emergence of the first democratic constitutional state some two and a half thousand years ago?

In a reading and conversation with Manfred Osten, the achievement of a “world theater phenomenon” (FAZ) will be brought to mind: Peter Stein’s groundbreaking performance of the Oresteia (1980) and his paradigmatic translation of the trilogy have written theater history and can at the same time be understood as a declaration of love for democracy.

Peter Stein has worked as a theater, opera, and film director on internationally authoritative stages for numerous productions, including the Berlin Schaubühne and the Salzburg Festival.