Helmut Bläss

Helmut Bläss (born May 12, 1926 in Halle (Saale) ; † July 7, 2005 in Wittenberg ) was a German theater director, director and actor.

Life

Helmut Bläss attended the Reform Realgymnasium in his hometown Halle (Saale) . Grew up during the Nazi era in Germany, he became a youth leader and when he was able to do military service he was drafted into the Waffen SS as an artilleryman . He suffered two wounds, as a result of which he lost his left arm.

Physically restricted, he passed his Abitur at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gymnasium in Frankfurt am Main and turned to his passion, the theater. After graduating from high school, he took on an assistant director, became secretary of the stage cooperative and was commissioned to found the "Hessische Volksbühne" as its director. He then worked as chief dramaturge and director at the “Junge Garde” theater in Halle (Saale) and in Görlitz . From 1958 to 1964 he worked as director of the operetta at the Leipzig City Theaters .

From 1964, Bläss was director of the Wittenberg Theater ( Elbe-Elster-Theater , Elbe-Saale-Bühnen Wittenberg-Bernburg, Central German State Theater) for 32 years . This makes him the record holder in German theater history as a theater director. During his time he increased the number of performances and expanded the performance area of ​​the Wittenberg Theater considerably.

He was responsible for several hundred productions, roles, roles and guest directing on television at home and abroad and caused a sensation with his performances in the historic courtyards of Wittenberg, for example with “ Doktor Eisenbarth ” in 1983.

As a strict artistic director, but always committed to the goal of satisfying his audience, he also earned respect from younger colleagues. Through his work he has written theater history far beyond Wittenberg.

When he left the Wittenberg Theater in 1996 for reasons of age, he remained connected to this, his life's work. When "his" theater ensemble was disbanded in 2002, it hit him very hard. However, he was involved in the founding of the Wittenberg "PHÖNIX-Theaterwelt" in the theater building complex obtained through a private initiative as a sponsoring member and gave his last performance there in October 2004.

literature

• Jens Hüttmann & Peer Pasternack: “ Traces of Knowledge - Education and Science in Wittenberg after 1945 ” published by Drei Kastanien Verlag Wittenberg 2004 ISBN 3-933028-85-X .
• “ He took the theater everywhere ” article “Mitteldeutsche Zeitung” from July 9, 2005.
• " The year 2005 in the Wittenberg district " contribution "Super Sonntag" from December 31, 2005.
• Advertisement in Mitteldeutscher Zeitung of July 30, 2005, page 13.