On Friday June 6, Toronto theatre artists and theatre-goers have the chance to meet one of the legends of contemporary theatre and opera, German director Peter Stein. In a career spanning more than four decades, his work has been acclaimed around the world. From his first production, Edward Bond’s Saved in 1967, through landmark stagings of Peer Gynt, As You Like It, The Oresteia, and The Three Sisters at Berlin’s Schaubühne Theatre (which he ran from 1970 to 1985), Stein established himself as one of Europe’s most brilliant directors. And his more recent work, including Hamlet in Moscow, a 22-hour Faust in Hannover, and productions of both Schiller’s Wallenstein and Shakespeare’s King Lear in Berlin and Vienna respectively, demonstrate his continued brilliance.

Stein will discuss his career and his ideas on theatre in conversation with Buddies in Bad Times’ Artistic Director Brendan Healy. As part of the conversation, excerpts from several of Stein’s most notable productions will be screened.