Greta Gebhard

by Greta Gebhard, dramaturg

Stepping out of the train station, I see a parking lot of cars contrasts the classic architecture that forms each building around the open square. I have been on this adventure as part of my assignment as the dramaturg for BYU's production of Mary Stuart. Now, I'm in Weimar, the place where Friedrich Schiller lived during the most prolific writing section of his lifetime. It feels quaint in this small town, now known for its profound influence on German culture and politics. This was the birthplace of German classicism and romanticism, and place where culture transformed into a world of free thinking and free expression. It was here in 1918 that the political leaders from around Germany joined together to write a new constitution after the dissolution of the monarchy post World War I. Weimar is recognized as the heart of modern, German culture, and this is where I stepped out to discover more about Friedrich Schiller and how it can help the production back in the United States.