It is true that a director has all the responsibility – especially in a school drama group, and that responsibility can be somethings pressing. But the decisions in the English Drama Group are not reached in a dictatorial manner. Certainly the director, i.e. I, has the final word, and sometimes the decisions are not unanimous, but there has always been a group of actors who take over some responsibility by advising, checking, discussing, putting forward ideas, organising, mediating, and transmitting. Every new idea the director has, first goes to this team – using them like a wall at which he throws new ideas like balls that bounce off. All new ideas are tested on them – they react to them, accept them, ask for alterations, offer compromises – before the ideas are introduced to the rest of the group. These actors who hold a special place in the group for the director, have for practicality been divided into director’s assistants, production assistants, stage managers, stage designers, and treasurers.Sometimes, in the history of our group, the functions have overlapped, and some have developed only recently. But my thanks as a director go to all those who contributed even more than all the others to the success of the fringe, and this is a contribution to them. In the following, you will be introduced to those people, and if someone is missing, it is certainly not intentional.

The people who control the money are always very important. In 13 years, the group has now had five treasurers: Martin Reichinger (1997-98), Christian Reichinger (1998-2001), Susanne Ruch (2001-2004), Lena Schmidt (2004-2006), and, at present, Marlene Münzel (2006-2009). Marlene Münzel, being the face of the group, is of course far more than just a treasurer, but she has always been a make up helper and a chief advisor. In spring 2010, Jasmin Rahimy took over this position.

From its second year of production, the fringe has always had a stage manager who is responsible for the props, for the cleaning up and away, for the preparation of the stage, transportation, and the general happiness of all the actors. There have been Nadine Riedel, who did nothing else (1997/98), then the all effective Kathrin Hofmann (1998-2001), the quieter and yet as efficient Silvana Pyritz (2001-2004), the energetic Romina Heinrich, who went on to be an assistant (2003-2005), the team of the ever powerful and thoughtful Olga Schweizer and the artistically versed Andreas Romeike, who held out, when Olga had a breakdown (2005-2007), the young Sandra Götz, who was left alone by her envisaged partner who went to Australia (2007/2008), and now the rather professional Vanessa Heydasch (2008/2009). Robin Fachtan took over in April 2009, with Hanna Prichodko becoming assistant stage manager. In April 2011, Bell Eberhardt and Rike Dobelke took charge.

Rather a new invention, it is the production assistant’s task to take over where the assistants leave. During the rehearsals, the assistants assist the director, but when the final dress rehearsals are going on, they don’t have any time for this any more. In steps the production assistant who accompanies the director and takes notes of everything he says. Up to now, only two girls filled the position, and that was the ever reliable Andrea Dumler (2006 and 2007), and in 2008, Jana Pittel, who went on to be a director’s assistant next. In the 2008 and 2009 productions, Lilly Fleischmann held this position.

Stage designers and technicians are most important for any production, and our stage designs have grown more complicated and extravagant by the year, also more costly. Several of the designs were so-called Facharbeiten, like the ones by Valentin Bräunlein for The Rivals in 1998, by Theresa Greim for A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2000, by Nadine Friedrich for An Ideal Husband in 2005, and by Andreas Romeike for The New Woman in 2007. We also must not forget that Lena Schmidt directed the new design for The Hollow in 2006, and that a team of Olga Bartuli, Jacqueline Fulger Rebekka Jesch, and Moritz Hacker designed and built the fabulous set for A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2008, with Moritz Hacker doing nearly all the woodwork. In 2009, he proved indispensable again, building two coffins for Dracula and organising light, sound, and fog. In 2010, he built the complete stage set - a turntable of 5m in diametre, with a dividing wall on top of it.

They are the most important people in the team. They help the director in any necessary manner, especially by sacrificing a lot of time and brainwork. They are sometimes like sheepdogs trying to keep the herd together, and sometimes they really take over parts of the directing work, e.g. by directing some vocal training, or leading rehearsals, if the director is absent. In the following, there is a hopefully complete list of the assistants up to now:

2008/2009 Anne Eisenhuth, Jana Pittel, Marlene Münzel, Bettina Wagner, Alina Wanitzek

The director's team for 2011/2012:

v.l.n.r. Jasmin Rahimy, Hanna Prichodko, Karolina Panow

Hans-Dieter Scholz (born 1965) teaches English, History, and Social Sciences. He went to school in nearby Bamberg, where he also went to university to study English and History. While at university, he also joined the university English Drama Group under Michael Claridge – a lasting influence, just like the dancing school influence due to Scholz’s personal hobby. 1989/1990, he was foreign language assistant at Queensmead School and Bishop Luffa School in the London Borough of Hillingdon, where he first came in contact with school drama classes. During his teacher training, he spent time in Nürnberg, Immenstadt and Ansbach, before he arrived at the Graf-Münster-Gymnasium in 1994. In 1996, students from a year 10 – class pressured him to try out an English Drama Group, which then formed as an informal AG (Arbeitsgemeinschaft – work group) of already 18 members. Since then, the English Drama Group, which took the name of “the fringe” in 1997, has flourished and developed.

Constanze Fehske was the very first assistant who obtained this position not because she was selected for it. She just used to help all the others and took over make up, so it appeared quite natural to add the formal title of an assistant to her natural position. Today, she is a doctor.

Marion Müller, who helped the foundation of the group with her experience from older German drama groups and the Studiobühne Bayreuth in the first year, became a reliable confidante in all dramatic matters; the foundation members Katharina Babenko with her dancing and hair dressing talent, and Katharina Beiergrößlein with her organisational talent later joined the director’s team. Today, Marion is artist in Berlin, Katharina is about to become a teacher, and Katharina has a Ph.D. in History in Munich.

Katharina Beiergrößlein and Theresa Greim preparing the set for A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2000. Katharina, who was already a student at university at the time, played Bottom opposite Theresa’s Titania. Theresa went on to become a professional actress in Hamburg, where she works with the Schauspielhaus (see smaller photo, which is more recent).

Larisa Ring, who went on to study Chemistry, and Nadine Friedrich, who is studying art history in Bamberg, were unvaluable helpers and played quite a few big roles that made the drama group ever more popular. With them as leading ladies in Richard, too, the English Drama Group the fringe for the first time dared to leave their own limited drama room and perform at the Kleines Haus der Stadthalle.

Nadine Friedrich, who remained an assistant for four years – dominating the stage, the make up team and producing stage sets, with May Brümmer and Irina Medowaja. While May was a communications genius and did all the computer work and really solid assisting, Irina was a terribly good hair stylist. May is now studying communication sciences, while Irina works in an advertising agency.

Olga Schweizer, the formidable stage manageress who nearly worked herself up, Marlene Münzel, the more than treasurer, Katharina Lopatin, the classic assistant, and Romina Heinrich, the flamboyant lead actress and stage manager before Olga. Olga and Katharina are studying at the University of Bamberg, Marlene is still with us, and Romina has just passed her final exams.

They were joined, over the time, by Kira Sesselmann with her ballet experience, and Andrea Dumler with her communication talent that made her the first effective production assistant I could not have done without. Here in this photo, they are joined by their natural successor, Anne Eisenhuth, who, at the age of 14, became the youngest assistant ever.

The year 2007 saw a great changing of the guard: Katharina Lopatin played her last role as Margery in The New Woman as well as singing the unforgettable Puppet on a string as Sandie Shaw. Romina Heinrich suffered a lot, when Katharina left, and we were all saddened. Romina took over as leading lady, and Jana Pittel and Anne Eisenhuth started to learn the trade as assistants, which they did really fast. For A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2008, Romina and Anne had to learn a great number of complicted choreographies – more complicated than Theresa Greim’s in 2000, and they pulled through without difficulties.

Lena Schmidt was an unvaluable advisor, even though officially she was “only” treasurer. She also did a lot of hairdressing and stage designing, apart from playing really large roles in quite a number of plays.

Bettina Wagner and Alina Wanitzek were assistants last year - an invaluable support for the director. In the summer holidays, Bettina played the fairy godmother in the Studiobühne's production of Cinderella. Alina takes part in the first P-seminary of English Drama. In 2010/2011 they will concentrate on acting.

Anne Eisenhuth and Peter Tscheperkow being awarded the annual Dino prize in 2011. With them, Christina Hertel was honoured.

The assistants

The director’s team