Achim Schmid

Lotte Ingrisch’s ‘Dark Humor’ as Counter-Canon in Postwar Austrian Theater - Austrian Studies Association Conference 2026: Austria as Stage – Austrian on Stage · May 28, 2026 - May 31, 2026 International Meeting or Conference Austrian Studies Association, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg

Feedback Fictions: Tomer Dotan-Dreyfus’ Birobidschan and the Possibility of a Cybernetic Narratology - Poetics and Cybernetics · April 17, 2026 - April 18, 2026 Instructional Course, Workshop, or Symposium University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Looking at October 7 through the German Cityscape - 1st UVA-Duke Jewish Studies Graduate Symposium · April 11, 2026 - April 12, 2026 Instructional Course, Workshop, or Symposium University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Mothers, Stepmothers, and Stepmotherlands: Jacob Maarssen and the Yiddish Tradition of Translating the "Seven Sages" - 8th Biennial German Jewish Studies Workshop · February 15, 2026 - February 17, 2026 International Meeting or Conference University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN

Creating Authenticity through Experimentation: Maryan’s "Ecce Homo" (1975) - Experimental Modernism and Its Legacies: Research Colloquium · October 23, 2025 - October 24, 2025 Instructional Course, Workshop, or Symposium UNC Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Looking at Fragments of War: Katja Petrowskaja's Photo Columns - 2025 Jewish Studies Annual Research Symposium · October 19, 2025 Instructional Course, Workshop, or Symposium Duke University - Center for Jewish Studies, Durham, NC

Frauen an der Freien Bühne Berlin: ihre Werke und Produktionsbedingungen - XV. Kongress · July 25, 2025 - July 26, 2025 International Meeting or Conference Internationale Vereinigung für Germanistik (IVG), University of Graz, Austria My paper examines the role and reception of female dramatists at the Freie Bühne Berlin, a pivotal institution for the development of naturalist theater in Germany. Although literary history has largely focused on canonical male playwrights such as Gerhart Hauptmann, Arno Holz, and Johannes Schlaf, five of the 27 plays staged by the Freie Bühne were written by women—Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Emilie Mataja (Emil Marriot), and Elsa Bernstein (Ernst Rosmer). Through a close reading of these rarely studied works, the paper interrogates gendered notions of genre, authorship, and theatrical innovation within the naturalist movement. It argues that while these plays often diverge from dominant formal and thematic conventions, they nonetheless engage deeply with contemporary discourses on class, gender, marriage, poverty, and diseases. Moreover, the paper highlights the Freie Bühne's function as a gatekeeper and amplifier of dramatic voices—mediating both production and public reception. In spotlighting the complex dynamics of marginalization, intertextual strategy, and aesthetic experimentation, the study calls for a critical reappraisal of female contributions to naturalist theater and the broader literary canon.

South Tyrol – an Autonomous Region Setting an Example for Europe? · July 16, 2025 - July 20, 2025 Instructional Course, Workshop, or Symposium Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V., Bolzano, Italy In our seminar, we explored the history, culture, politics, and party landscape of South Tyrol, Italy’s northernmost province, where over half a million people enjoy extensive self-governance. We discussed the central role of the South Tyrolean People’s Party and reflected on current challenges to autonomy. As a group of around 15 students from various disciplines, we also engaged with guest speakers and politicians on political, historical, and constitutional law perspectives, and compared South Tyrol with other European regions striving for autonomy.

Voices of Memory – Contemporary German-Jewish Literature · July 10, 2025 - July 13, 2025 Instructional Course, Workshop, or Symposium Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V., Frankfurt am Main, Germany In a seminar with approx. 20 students from Germany and diverse disciplines, we explored works by Jewish authors who are writing and publishing in German, such as Peter Weiss, Barbara Honigmann, Esther Dischereit, and Dana Vowinckel, reflecting on topics such as memory, Jewish life in Germany, and migration’s impact on identity in their literary works.

Ökoskandal im Theaterraum: Die Adaptionen von "Pfisters Mühle" durch Armin Petras am Stuttgarter Schauspiel (2014) und Rebekka David am Staatstheater Braunschweig (2021) - zwischen Zeitdiagnose und Genreverschiebung (mit Jasmin Wagner) - 26th Annual Conference of the International Research Network BTWH · June 19, 2025 - June 22, 2025 International Meeting or Conference ifk Internationales Forschungszentrum Kulturwissenschaften, Vienna, Austria

Tracing Borders: Katja Petrowskaja’s Das Foto schaute mich an and the Politics of Memory - Europe: Consider It All! · April 29, 2025 International Meeting or Conference UNC Chapel Hill, Center for European Studies, Chapel Hill, NC

Creating Authenticity through Experimentation: Maryan's Ecce Homo (1975) - [Selbst]Versuch: 33rd Annual Berkeley Interdisciplinary German Studies Graduate Conference · February 28, 2025 - March 1, 2025 International Meeting or Conference UC, Berkeley, Department of German, UC, Berkeley I had the pleasure of participating in the 33rd Annual Berkeley Interdisciplinary German Studies Graduate Conference, where I presented on Maryan’s experimental Holocaust testimony film "Ecce Homo" (1975). It was a fantastic opportunity to engage with fellow graduate students and their interdisciplinary research. Many thanks to the organizers, my co-panelists, and Deniz Göktürk (UC Berkeley) for her insightful commentary. I’m also grateful to the German Studies faculty at Duke and UNC Chapel Hill, as well as Duke’s Center for Jewish Studies, whose Perilman Fellowship made this trip possible!

Memory and Fiction: Revisiting Matti Geschonneck's Die Wannseekonferenz - 2024 Perilman Graduate Research Symposium · October 2024 Instructional Course, Workshop, or Symposium Center for Jewish Studies, Duke University / online Matti Geschonneck's documentary drama "Die Wannseekonferenz" (2022) commemorates the 80th anniversary of the historic event. Though the film has received wide acclaim and international recognition, I examined how it balances documentary accuracy with fictional elements, raising questions about its influence on collective memory.

A New Wannsee Conference? Or: Holocaust Remembrance in Matti Geschonneck's Documentary Drama "Die Wannseekonferenz" (2022) and Correctiv's Staged Reading "Geheimplan gegen Deutschland" (2024) - 48th Annual Conference · September 2024 International Meeting or Conference German Studies Association, Atlanta, Georgia

Staged Reading of Gerlind Reinshagen’s "Sonntagskinder" - „Kann denn die Frau so was?“ Ein Kolloquium zum Werk und Nachlass von Gerlind Reinshagen · June 6, 2024 - June 7, 2024 Exhibition, Screening, or Performance Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach am Neckar On June 6, 2024, I took part in a staged reading of Gerlind Reinshagen’s drama Sonntagskinder, presented at the Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach, as part of a conference on Reinshagen’s work and legacy. Under the direction of Axel Brauch and in collaboration with apl. Prof. Dr. Annette Bühler‑Dietrich, students of the University of Stuttgart brought Reinshagen’s rarely staged play to life through a script-based reading, supported by the SRCTS – Stuttgart Research Center for Text Studies and the Diversity Fund of the university.
This reading formed part of a broader event exploring Reinshagen’s dramatic oeuvre—once central to German stages in the 1960s and 1970s but largely forgotten. The production reaffirmed the relevance of her work to contemporary gender and literary discourse.
Suggested link text to the recording:
Recording of *Sonntagskinder* reading – June 6, 2024

Hedda Zinner zwischen Kommunismus und Erinnerungskultur - 16. Kongress · June 2024 International Meeting or Conference Gesellschaft für Theaterwissenschaft, Leipzig The presentation examines Hedda Zinner's drama in the context of antifascism, socialist ideology, and Jewish identity in her "Ravensbrücker Ballade" (1961). The analysis sheds light on the tensions and challenges faced by Jewish intellectuals and dramatists in the German Democratic Republic, thereby contributing to an understanding of the historical and cultural contexts that shaped socialist drama in the postwar period.

Dramen von Autorinnen – neu gesprochen und gehört - Intersektionalität im Drama von Autorinnen des 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts · December 8, 2023 - December 10, 2023 Exhibition, Screening, or Performance University of Stuttgart I contributed to the University of Stuttgart’s teaching project “Dramen von Autorinnen des 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts: Neu gesprochen und gehört” (Winter Semester 2023/24), led by Prof. Dr. Annette Bühler‑Dietrich and supported by the Diversity Fund. In this workshop, I helped produce short audio plays based on works by women dramatists from the 18th and 19th centuries. The performances were enhanced by staged “cover photographs” and presented at the university. Subsequently, the audio plays were made available online with subtitles, ensuring accessible engagement and its use for teachers and instructors at a school and college level. As part of the broader “Women’s Drama and Theatre: 1625–2025” initiative, this project highlights and reclaims the contributions of women playwrights to German-language drama through publication, curricular development, and scholarly dissemination.

‘Swimming against the stream’: The theatrical career of Therese Giehse (1898-1975) - 47th Annual Conference · October 2023 International Meeting or Conference German Studies Association, Montreal, Canada