On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the University of Bremen, the reading takes a look at the difficult journey of founding a university in the Hanseatic city: From the idea of an international university in the post-war period to a campus-based university with a traditional range of subjects to a reform university based on the “Bremen Model” located behind the Stadtwald park. What hopes were tied to the project and what kind of resistance had to be overcome? Which concepts were initially pursued and then abandoned? And how was the public reaction in Bremen at the time?
The Long Way to Becoming a University Town
As early as 1946, the Bremen Senate discussed setting up an international university that would serve as a vehicle for intercultural understanding and offer new forms of knowledge transfer, including for those without a university entrance qualification (Abitur). The project was supported by the US military government. On December 16, 1948, Bremen Parliament unanimously approved the law on the founding of an international university. The project failed due to lack of funding and the question of the location. And yet, on October 14, 1971, Bremen’s City Hall was the site of the official ceremony that markedg the opening of a new university. The formative period was shaped by the educational policy debates of the 1960s.
Staged Reading at Bremen State Parliament Building
In the staged reading, actors from the bremer shakespeare company and members of the Bremen Parliament perform texts taken from historical sources. Next to President of the Bremen Parliament Frank Imhoff (CDU) and Vice President Antje Grotheer (SPD), Robert Bücking (Green Party), Klaus-Rainer Rupp (Left Party), and Magnus Buhlert (FPD) will participate.
The opening night at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, October 11, at Bremen State Parliament building is a cooperation between the University of Bremen, bremer shakespeare company, and the Bremen State Parliament.
Readings in October:
Monday, October 11, 2021, Opening night 7:00 p.m., Haus der Bürgerschaft (Bremen State Parliament building)
Wednesday, October 13, 2021, 7:30 p.m., Theater am Leibnizplatz
The readings will be in German.
Tickets are available from the bremer shakespeare company:
About the Theater Project
“From the Files to the Stage” is a historical theater project at the University of Bremen which is led by Dr. Eva Schöck-Quinteros and the bremer shakespeare company (bsc). The concept: History students research historical sources, the bremer shakespeare company works on the texts for the scenic reading, and the actors and actresses give the texts a voice on stage. The latest reading on the founding of the university was developed in close cooperation with Sigrid Dauks from the University of Bremen Archive.
Further Information and Tickets:
https://www.shakespeare-company.com/repertoire/premiere-die-freie-hansestadt-bremen-ist-bereit
https://www.shakespeare-company.com/spielplan/
www.sprechende-akten.uni-bremen.de
www.shakespeare-company.com/aus-den-akten-auf-die-buehne/
Contact:
Dr. Eva Schöck-Quinteros
History Department
Faculty of Social Sciences
University of Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-67251
Email: esqprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
