Max Martersteig (11 February 1853 – 3 November 1926) was a German stage actor, theatre director, writer and theatre historian.
Life and career Born in Weimar, Martersteig began his acting training with Otto Devrient. He made his stage debut in 1873 as Charles VII in The Maid of Orleans. This was followed by engagements in Rostock, Frankfurt an der Oder (1875-1876), Weimar (1876–1879), Mainz (1879-1880), Aachen (1880-1881) and Kassel (1882-1885). In 1885, he became head director and artistic director of the theatre in Mannheim. In 1890, he left Mannheim and went to Riga where he was theatre director until 1896. In 1905, he worked in Cologne and later served as director of the theatre in Leipzig until 1918.Martersteig, Max on Deutsche Biographie
He was also active as a playwright and theatre historian. In 1904, his work The German Theatre in the 19th Century was published, which is considered fundamental.Martersteig, Max on Thueringer-literaturrat
Martersteig was married to the actress Gertrud Eysoldt, and their son was the conductor and composer Leo Eysoldt.Max Martersteig on isgv.de
Martersteig died in Cologne at the age of 73. His gravesite is in Cologne's Melaten Cemetery. The barely legible gravestone features a depiction of a Death Genius and bears a dedicatory inscription.
In 1968, Martersteigstraße was named after him in Cologne.Rüdiger Schünemann-Steffen: Kölner Straßennamen-Lexikon, 3rd expanded edition, Jörg-Rüshü-Selbstverlag, Cologne 2016/17, .
Works Im Pavillon 1878 Jelta u. Ruben 1881 Aus Hessens Vorzeit 1884 Der Schauspieler, ein künstlerisches ProblemDer Schauspieler, ein künstlerisches Problem on WorldCat 1893 (new edition 1900) Giovanni Segantini. Bard, Marquardt & Co., Berlin 1903 Das deutsche Theater im neunzehnten Jahrhundert. Eine kulturgeschichtliche Darstellung 1904, 2nd edition 1924 Das Abendbuch 1927 Werner von Kuonefalk, A.G. Liebeskind publisher, Leipzig, 1886
Further reading Ludwig Eisenberg: Großes biographisches Lexikon der Deutschen Bühne im XIX. Jahrhundert. Pail List editor, Leipzig 1903, , ().
Gertrud Eysoldt: Das schöne Muster unseres Erlebnisses. Briefe an Max Martersteig. Berlin 2002 Wolfgang Greiner: Max Martersteig, der Bühnenleiter und Schriftsteller. Emsdetten 1938
External links
Max-Martersteig-Archiv in archives of the Academy of Arts, Berlin
References