TODAY 121 YEARS AGO, Walter Erich Schäfer, later general director of the Württemberg State Theatres, was born near Ludwigsburg. Schäfer studied agriculture at his father's request, although he his true enthusiasms were theatre and literature. At the University of Tübingen he completed a further degree in philosophy as well as art history. After his doctorate in philosophy, he devoted himself entirely to the theatre, wrote plays and became assistant dramaturge at the Stuttgart Theatre in 1928. When the National Socialist German Worker’s Party came to power, Schäfer had to leave Stuttgart but found positions as a dramaturge, first in Kassel, later in Mannheim and subsequently in Augsburg. During this time, he wrote numerous plays for theatre and radio with enormous success. In 1950, he was appointed general director of the Württemberg State Theatres. Under his leadership, the house with its three performing arts sectors (opera, ballet, drama) became one of the most successful of the post-war period. Enthusiastic about modern director's theatre as well as dance, he knew how to recruit talented artists for the State Theatres. In one of his most well-known and successful acquisitions, he invited John Cranko to work in Stuttgart, appointing him ballet director in January 1961. Cranko reformed the Stuttgart Ballet from within and made it internationally famous with worldwide performances. Cranko was always able to count on Schäfer, who directed the Württemberg State Theatres until his retirement in 1972. Together, they improved conditions for the ballet company considerably. The writer, dramaturge, radio playwriter and theatre director died in Stuttgart in 1981.

Photo: Walter Erich Schäfer, John Cranko and Fritz Höver, © Gundel Kilian