Ruth Berghaus

Ruth Berghaus (July 2, 1927 – January 25, 1996) was a German choreographer and opera and theatre director. Berghaus was born in Dresden and studied Expressionist dance and Dance direction with Gret Palucca there and was an advanced student at the German Academy of Arts in Berlin. From 1951 to 1964 she worked as choreographer on many stages, including the Deutsches Theater Berlin, the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin and the Berliner Ensemble. Her work ... more

Ruth Berghaus (July 2, 1927 – January 25, 1996) was a German choreographer and opera and theatre director. Berghaus was born in Dresden and studied Expressionist dance and Dance direction with Gret Palucca there and was an advanced student at the German Academy of Arts in Berlin. From 1951 to 1964 she worked as choreographer on many stages, including the Deutsches Theater Berlin, the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin and the Berliner Ensemble. Her work as a director began with the Die Verurteilung des Lukullus of Paul Dessau and Bertolt Brecht at the Deutsche Staatsoper in 1951. Brecht's work would represent a major part of Berghaus's career. She became well-known for her choreography of the slaughter scenes in Brecht's adaptation of Shakespeare's Coriolanus at the Berliner Ensemble in 1964. In 1954, Berghaus married the composer Paul Dessau, whose works for the theater she directed. Her association with the Berliner Ensemble culminated with her directorship of that theater until 1977. From... less