Fritz Herbert Bross

Fritz Herbert Bross (born September 2, 1910 in Stollberg / Erzgeb. , † May 24, 1976 in Schwäbisch Hall ) was a German puppet maker and puppeteer.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Bross analyzed and developed the functionality of marionettes based on his training as a mechanical engineer .

Bross comes from a family of wood carvers. At the request of his parents, he first learned a job. He became a qualified engineer and worked at Porsche before the war . After the Second World War he decided to only make theatrical figures, first hand puppets and later marionettes. 1958–1967 Fritz Herbert Bross was director of the seminar for marionette building and leadership at the German Institute for Puppetry in Bochum and then took over the artistic direction of the marionette theater " Gerhards Marionetten " in Schwäbisch Hall .

When analyzing the technical and aesthetic effects of theater puppets , in addition to his family roots and studying mechanical engineering, he benefited from the art-historical knowledge he had acquired during his university days.

In particular, Bross developed a one-handed play cross that enables very precise puppet guidance. His findings in marionette making are still considered to be trend-setting today. The system he developed is known in puppetry circles as the Bross marionette .

In the puppets designed by Bross himself, his artistic gesture is combined with technical quality to create a great stage effect, especially with regard to playability and mobility of the artefact designed for the stage play. Bross built theater puppets for many professional puppet theaters , such as for the Herbert and Wanda Assé puppet stage, which performed in front of elementary school students in the administrative districts of Cologne and Arnsberg in the second half of the 20th century. The best-known student of Bross is Albrecht Roser .

In courses, including at the German Institute for Puppetry , Bross taught puppet makers and puppeteers in the construction of professional puppet show marionettes. The system he developed was adopted by many doll makers. The technique of "bross puppets" is not only used by professional puppeteers today. It is also taught to laypeople, for example in adult education centers.

literature

• Heinrich von Kleist : About the Marionette Theater - with a contribution by Wolfgang Kurock , Puppen & Masken, Frankfurt / Main, 2007, ISBN 978-3-935011-64-8 (Fritz Herbert Bross' life's work is honored there in the foreword.)
• Jürgen Klünder: Fritz Herbert Bross , Master of Puppetry, Issue 32, publisher: German Institute for Puppetry, Bochum
• Jürgen Klünder: Walter Büttner , Master of Puppetry, Issue 36, Editor: German Institute for Puppetry, Bochum; contains many photos of Bross figures
• Hans R. Purschke: Lovable Puppenwelt - German Puppetry Art Today , Marion von Schröder Verlag, Hamburg, 1962; contains many photos of Bross figures
• Alois Raab: Medium Marionette , Verlag des Puppenspielverein Kaufbeuren eV, 1977; (The author has incorporated his experiences from the Bross seminars at the German Institute for Puppetry, Bochum, into the manual.)
• Puk Museum for Puppet Theater Culture , Bad Kreuznach / UNIMA Center Germany ev (ed.): The other theater, special issue "BROSS 100" , Puppen & Masken, Frankfurt / Main, 2010, ISBN 978-3935011-77-8

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Fritz Gerhards