Jurgen Fehling

Vocation

German director. Fehling's breakthrough came in 1921 with acclaimed productions of The Comedy of Errors and Toller's Masses and Man. He joined Leopold Jessner at the Berlin State Theatre (Berlin Royal Theatre), which remained his base until 1944. Strongly influenced by expressionism, Fehling's productions were also marked by sensitivity to psychological nuances. In a sense he blended Brahm's naturalism and expressionism to find a new synthesis which enabled him to direct the whole gamut of dramatic literature as well as opera. He directed over 100 productions at the State Theatre. Noteworthy were the premières of Ernst Barlach's work in the 1920s and his Shakespeare productions, particularly The Merchant of Venice in 1927 with Kortner as Shylock and Richard III in 1936 with Werner Krauss. Fehling's career as a director ended in 1944. He was unable to re-establish himself in the post-war period. Jürgen Fehling suffered from a bipolar disorder, and was, until his death in clinical treatment. He died 14 June 1968 in Hamburg. (Photo by Deutsche Fotothek; please click on image for license info) Link to German Wikipedia