"Briefe von Ruth" (Letters from Ruth) is a stirring and touching musical theater work based on the letters and diaries of Ruth Maier, a Viennese Jew, written between 1933 and 1942. Her writings are part of the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. The music was written by Grammy-nominated Norwegian composer Gisle Kverndokk.
Full of longings and dreams, inspired by Vienna's rich cultural life, Ruth Maier experienced in the 1930s how Nazi atrocities brought her carefree existence to an abrupt end. In letters and diaries, she summarized her thoughts and feelings, expressing the unspeakable. After fleeing to Norway in 1939, her artistic expression intensified. There she met the love of her life, the future poet Gunvor Hofmo. Her notes reveal a young woman who reflects with impressive directness on the existential questions of growing up, love, and political upheaval. Ruth Maier, often called the Austrian Anne Frank, remains a presence in Norway to this day, while remaining largely unknown in her native Austria and Germany.
The award-winning team behind the Gmunden premiere brings "Briefe von Ruth" (Letters from Ruth), which won Best Musical at the 2023 German Musical Theater Awards, to Fürth.
Stadttheater Fürth / Logo Graphic Design: Meltem Balkaya
Musical Direction: Jürgen Goriup
Direction & Set Design: Markus Olzinger
Co-Direction & Dramaturgy: Elisabeth Sikora
Costumes: based on Angelika Pichler
Lighting Design: Ingo Kelp
Sound Design: Roland Baumann
Video: Jürgen Erbler and Markus Olzinger