Erich Geister

Erich Geister (born February 25, 1921 in Forst ; † January 5, 1995 ) was a German set designer .

Life

Geister was born as the son of the clerk Fanny Geister and the master plumber Bernhard Geister. His talent in the field of painting and design was already evident during his school days. Even before he had to go to war, Erich Geister trundled through the country with small puppet stages. Military service followed and French imprisonment until 1948.

After training as a set designer at Giebichenstein Castle , his first job was at the theater in Köthen . But his career only really began at the Bergtheater Thale , where he worked under the well-known artistic director Ulrich Velten . At this time the path of master Nadelöhr - Eckhard Friedrichsson began there too . From there, Professor Rodenberg brought him to the Hans Otto Theater in Potsdam, until he followed the call of Maxim Vallentin , who just a few years earlier had launched the Maxim Gorki Theater in the building of the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin . Well-known actors such as Willi Narloch , Horst Kube , Hilmar Thate , Jochen Thomas , Hans-Peter Minetti and Lotte Loebinger were working at the Gorki-Theater .

One of his assistants was the set designer Joachim Bette , who became known years later for his large entertainment programs . 1960 followed the path to television in the GDR . Erich Geister became a production designer and head of equipment. He was this until he left his career in 1985.

TV films like the ballet "Peter and the Wolf" or "Geschwister Scholl" were his starting points. During this time, many guest sets were created at the German State Opera and the Komische Oper in Berlin . Here it was mainly ballets by Tom Schilling that brought him a certain international fame. This is also evidenced by his success at the Oslo State Opera. In 1971 he was awarded the Art Prize and in 1979 the National Prize, Second Class.

Filmography

• 1959: Maria Stuart (studio recording)

Web links

• Erich Geister at filmportal.de