Erwin Piscator

Born on December 17, 1893 in the German state of Prussia, Erwin Friedrich Maximillian Piscator was a theater director and producer best known for originating the style of epic theater. He is the descendant of Johannes Piscator, a Protestant theologian known for his translation of the Bible in 1600. Piscator’s work often pushed communist ideas and he used theater as a means for social and political change. While Piscator was working on a film in Russia, Hitler rose to power. Piscator remained in Russia for the duration of World War II, claiming a self-imposed political asylum. In 1936, Piscator moved to France and married dancer Maria Ley in 1937, with Bertolt Brecht as one of his groomsmen. In 1939 Piscator migrated to America, but returned to West Germany in 1951 after the fear of communism in America became widespread during the Cold War. Piscator continued to direct theater productions in Germany until his death on March 30, 1966.

Key Dates & Events

• 1899 - Piscator’s family moves to Marburg, Germany.
• 1914 - Piscator begins his career as an actor but is soon drafted into the army at the start of World War One.
• 1934 - Piscator directs his only film, Vostaniye rybakov
• 1936 - Piscator moves to France from Russia.
• 1937 - Piscator marries dancer, Maria Ley.
• 1939 - Piscator migrates to America.
• 1951 - Piscator returns to West Germany during the Red Scare in America.
• 1955 - Piscator produces a stage adaptation of Tolstoy’s War and Peace.