Saarbrücken Poetry Lectureship: Armin Petras brings new theater life!

Saarbrücken Poetry Lectureship: Armin Petras brings new theater life!

This year, Saarland University is hosting the twelfth edition of the Saarbrücken Poetics Lectureship for Drama. This event, which has been organized annually since 2011/12, is a collaboration between the university, the Saarland State Theater, the city of Saarbrücken and the VHS Saarbrücken regional association. The poetics lectureship aims to invite outstanding authors and theater makers to promote discussion about contemporary drama.

Armin Petras, a renowned playwright and director, was selected for this edition. He has been a defining figure in German theater for over three decades and will enrich the poetry lectureship with a series of public lectures entitled “War and Theater”. These lectures will take place in May and June 2025 in various locations, including the Filmhaus and the Saarland State Theater. Admission to the lectures is free, which enables broad access to the theater discussion.

Lecture series and premiere

Petra's lectures, which begin at 8 p.m. and last about an hour, promise an in-depth discussion of dramatic topics.

• 26. Mai 2025: „5 einführende Anmerkungen zur Theorie und Geschichte des Dramas“
• 02. Juni 2025: „Der Nibelungen-Apparat“
• 09. Juni 2025: „45 literaturwissenschaftliche Begriffe erläutert (anlässlich einer möglichen Verwendung für einen Theatertext über Napoleon Bonaparte und seine Welt)”

A special highlight will be the premiere of Petra's new piece "future 2 (lose your self)", which will take place on May 31, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. in the Saarland State Theater.

A long history of poetics

The Saarbrücken poetry lectureship has an important tradition in the context of European literary reflection. Historically, discussions about aesthetics and literature go back centuries. The poetry lectures are a central means of introducing contemporary writers and their individual poetics and promoting dialogue about literature. From the first poetry lectureship at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, which was established in 1959/60, to the current focus in Saarbrücken, it is clear that the examination of drama in modern literature has often been inadequate and calls for deeper reflection.

In the context of this tradition, the Saarbrücken poetry lectureship is particularly important in order to intensify both the understanding of drama and the exchange between students and authors. According to [theatergeschichte.org], questioning and discussing contemporary drama represents a key challenge that is addressed by this series of events. Playwrights have often been underrepresented in previous poetry lectureships, which underlines the relevance of the Saarbrücken initiative.

Overall, this year's poetry lectureship is characterized by a unique combination of theory and practice, which invites you to think about the meaning of theater in today's world. In addition to Petras' lectures and his premiere, the poetry lectureship will offer a platform that brings the diversity and relevance of contemporary drama to the fore.