# Kurt Hellmer (1909–1975) — Full Reference > This document is the extended machine-readable companion to > https://kurthellmer.com/llms.txt . It gathers the site's core > biographical facts, key dates, institutions, works, and named > collaborators into a single plain-text corpus that language models > and answer engines can quote directly. All content is derived from > the human-readable pages of kurthellmer.com and the archival > sources listed on https://kurthellmer.com/sources . Canonical URL: https://kurthellmer.com/ Languages: English (primary) and German — the site offers a per-page EN/DE toggle. License: Content is a scholarly biographical archive. Quotation and citation are welcomed; please attribute to kurthellmer.com. ## Identity - Stage name: Kurt Hellmer - Birth name: Kurt Ehrlich (family name officially changed to Hellmer in 1922) - Alternate name: Curtis L. Hellmer (used in the United States) - Born: 26 December 1909, Frankfurt am Main, Germany - Died: 11 May 1975, New York, NY, USA - Nationality: German (later American) - Religion: Jewish (persecuted under National Socialism) - Father: Arthur Hellmer (1880–1961), Austrian-Jewish theatre director, founder of the Neues Theater Frankfurt — see https://arthurhellmer.com - Authority records (sameAs): - English Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Hellmer - German Wikipedia: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Hellmer - Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6446773 (Q6446773) - GND (DNB): https://d-nb.info/gnd/11668786X (11668786X) - VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/59841990 (59841990) - Deutsche Biographie: https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/gnd11668786X.html - Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek: https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/person/gnd/11668786X - Kalliope-Verbund: https://kalliope-verbund.info/gnd/11668786X - GND Explorer: https://explore.gnd.network/gnd/11668786X - Schlüsseldokumente / Key Documents (IGdJ Hamburg): https://keydocuments.net/person/gnd/11668786X https://schluesseldokumente.net/person/gnd/11668786X ## One-paragraph summary Kurt Hellmer was an Austrian dramaturg, theatre director, editor, and — from 1952 until his death in 1975 — one of postwar New York's most consequential literary and theatre agents for European drama and Anglophone fiction. Trained in Frankfurt and at the universities of Heidelberg, Berlin, and Frankfurt, he worked as dramaturg and director at the Kleines Schauspielhaus Hamburg, the Altes Theater Leipzig, the Deutsches Theater Hannover, the Schauspielhaus Bremen, the Stadttheater Erfurt, and — from 1932 — at his father Arthur Hellmer's Neues Theater in Frankfurt. Programmes from this period document a 1931 production of Somerset Maugham's "Der Brotverdiener" ("The Breadwinner", trans. Mimi Zoff) with the young Marianne Hoppe and Günther Lüders, and a world premiere on 13 February 1932 of Desider Szomory's "Eine Frau mit sich allein" (German adaptation by Curt Corrinth) at the Altes Theater Leipzig. He also served as Schriftleitung (editor) of the Programmheft of the Kleines Schauspielhaus Hamburg (Spielzeit 1932/33) and of the Neues Theater Frankfurt (Spielzeit 1933/34). Forced out of Germany in 1935, he became dramaturg and director at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna (1936–38), where his operetta "Majestät privat" (music by Ralph Benatzky, adapted from Flers & Caillavet's "Le Roi") premiered at Christmas 1937. He also worked as a reader for Twentieth Century Fox Vienna and for the publishers Felix Bloch Erben, Drei-Masken- Verlag, Georg Marton Verlag, and Otto Eirich Verlag. After the Anschluss he fled via Italy on a U.S. visa, arriving in New York on 11 August 1938. From 1939 to 1952 he was editor — at times acting editor-in-chief — of the German-Jewish exile weekly Aufbau, writing the columns "New Yorker Notizbuch", "Broadway Bulletin", and "Anti Anti". He directed for the WHN radio series "Refugee Theater of the Air", was board member and secretary of the German-American Writers Association (1939–41), and in 1941 attempted (with Manfred Fürst and others) to found a Free German Theatre in New York. From 1945 he was New York theatre correspondent for the U.S.-occupation paper Neue Zeitung (Munich). In 1952 he opened his own theatrical publishing house and literary agency, representing Max Frisch, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Bertolt Brecht, Sławomir Mrożek, Jane Rule, Michael Noonan, Jacob Picard, Alen Pol Kobryn, George Bernard Shaw, Gershon Einbinder (Chaver Paver), Peter James, Ronald Searle, Kathleen Nott, and James Lee Burke. He died in New York on 11 May 1975. ## Life chronology - 1909 (26 December): Born Kurt Ehrlich, Frankfurt am Main. - 1922: Family name officially changed to Hellmer. - 1920s: Wöhler-Realgymnasium, Frankfurt; then four semesters of philosophy and psychology at the universities of Heidelberg, Berlin, and Frankfurt. - 1930–1935: Dramaturg and director at the Kleines Schauspielhaus (Hamburg), Altes Theater (Leipzig), Deutsches Theater (Hannover), Schauspielhaus (Bremen), Stadttheater Erfurt, and — from 1932 — at his father Arthur Hellmer's Neues Theater, Frankfurt. - 1931 (23 May): Directs the German-language production of Somerset Maugham's "Der Brotverdiener" ("The Breadwinner", trans. Mimi Zoff) with the young Marianne Hoppe and Günther Lüders in the cast. - 1932 (13 February): Directs the Uraufführung (world premiere) of Desider Szomory's "Eine Frau mit sich allein" (German adaptation by Curt Corrinth) at the Altes Theater Leipzig. - 1932/33: Schriftleitung (editor) of the Programmheft of the Kleines Schauspielhaus Hamburg (Direktion: Friedrich Lobe). - 1933/34: Schriftleitung of the Programmheft of the Neues Theater Frankfurt (Direktion: Arthur Hellmer). - 1935: Emigrates to Vienna under the pressure of antisemitic persecution. - 1936–1937: Dramaturg and director at the Theater an der Wien. Reader for Twentieth Century Fox Vienna and for Felix Bloch Erben, Drei-Masken-Verlag, Georg Marton Verlag, and Otto Eirich Verlag. - 1937 (Christmas): Premiere of "Majestät privat" (music by Ralph Benatzky, book adapted by Hellmer from Flers & Caillavet's "Le Roi") at the Theater an der Wien. - 1938 (11 August): After the Anschluss of Austria to Nazi Germany, arrives in New York via Italy on a U.S. visa. - 1938 (18 October): Files first citizenship papers. - 1938–1941: Directs short plays for WHN radio's "Refugee Theater of the Air". Board member and secretary of the German-American Writers Association (1939–41). In 1941, with Manfred Fürst and others, attempts to found a Free German Theatre (Theatre of German Freemen) in New York — the plan foundered on lack of funds. - 1939–1952: Editor — at times acting editor-in-chief — of the German-Jewish exile weekly Aufbau in New York. Author of the columns "New Yorker Notizbuch" (civic life), "Broadway Bulletin" (theatre and film criticism), and "Anti Anti" (confronting antisemitic and antidemocratic currents in the U.S.). - 1945–: New York theatre correspondent for Neue Zeitung, the U.S. occupation newspaper published in Munich. - 1952–1975: Literary and theatre agent in New York; proprietor of his own theatrical publishing house. - 1975 (11 May): Dies in New York. ## Writers represented (Kurt Hellmer Agency, 1952–1975) - Max Frisch — Swiss playwright and novelist; New York representation, including the U.S. career of "The Firebugs" (1964). - Friedrich Dürrenmatt — Swiss dramatist ("The Visit", "The Physicists"); U.S. representation. - Bertolt Brecht — German dramatist and poet; placed with American publishers and theatres. - Sławomir Mrożek — Polish playwright of the absurd; U.S. representation from the early 1960s. - Jane Rule — Canadian novelist; Hellmer secured publication of "Desert of the Heart" (1964) against sustained resistance. - Michael Noonan — Australian novelist and screenwriter; papers at the National Library of Australia. - Jacob Picard — German-Jewish poet and prose writer in exile; papers at the Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History. - Alen Pol Kobryn — American poet; Hellmer was the first to represent him. - George Bernard Shaw — whose plays Hellmer produced in New York in the 1940s. - Gershon Einbinder (Chaver Paver) — Yiddish novelist and children's writer; represented by the Hellmer agency in New York. - Peter James — British novelist; Hellmer was his first agent, long before James became the #1 bestselling crime writer in the UK and author of the Roy Grace series. - Ronald Searle — British illustrator and cartoonist (St Trinian's, Molesworth); handled by the Hellmer agency in New York. - Kathleen Nott — British poet, philosopher, and novelist; handled by the Hellmer agency in New York. - James Lee Burke — American novelist (Dave Robicheaux series); early representation by the Hellmer agency in New York. ## Stage adaptations and productions - "Love From A Stranger" — German-language adaptation staged with Ernst Deutsch at the Kammerspiele of the Theater in der Josefstadt, Vienna; ran roughly 100 performances and travelled to Prague and elsewhere. - "You Can't Take It With You" (Kaufman & Hart) — German-language adaptation at the Kammerspiele of the Theater in der Josefstadt, Vienna. - "Majestät Privat" (from Flers & Caillavet, "Le Roi") — reworked as a musical with music by Ralph Benatzky; premiered Theater an der Wien, Christmas 1937. - "Three Minute Murder" — German-language adaptation staged in Prague. - "Fusillé à l'Aube" (Maurice Dekobra) — adaptation prohibited in Germany by the censors. - "Yes, My Darling Daughter" (Mark Reed) — German-language adaptation prepared for production in Switzerland. - "Eine reizende Familie" (from F. Hugh Herbert, "Kiss and Tell") — postwar German translation and adaptation, published in Berlin by OMGUS in 1946. - "Ja, mein Liebling" — 1947 radio adaptation of Mark Reed's play for Radio Stuttgart (Süddeutscher Rundfunk); translation and script by Hellmer, direction by Cläre Schimmel. - "Der Brotverdiener" (Somerset Maugham, "The Breadwinner", trans. Mimi Zoff) — directed 23 May 1931; cast included Marianne Hoppe and Günther Lüders. - "Eine Frau mit sich allein" (Desider Szomory, adapted by Curt Corrinth) — Uraufführung, Altes Theater Leipzig, 13 February 1932. ## Editorial and journalistic work - Schriftleitung of the Programmheft of the Kleines Schauspielhaus Hamburg, Spielzeit 1932/33 (Direktion: Friedrich Lobe). - Schriftleitung of the Programmheft of the Neues Theater Frankfurt, Spielzeit 1933/34 (Direktion: Arthur Hellmer). - Editor, Aufbau (New York), 1939–1952; columnist: - "New Yorker Notizbuch" (civic life) - "Broadway Bulletin" (theatre and film criticism) - "Anti Anti" (confronting antisemitic and antidemocratic currents in the U.S.) - New York theatre correspondent, Neue Zeitung (Munich, U.S. occupation paper), from 1945. ## Institutional and refugee-theatre milieu (New York) - Aufbau — German-Jewish exile weekly, New York. - WHN — "Refugee Theater of the Air" (radio series). - German-American Writers Association — board member and secretary, 1939–1941. - Free German Theatre / Theatre of German Freemen — attempted 1941 with Manfred Fürst and others; not realised. ## Theatres associated with Hellmer - Kleines Schauspielhaus, Hamburg — dramaturg/director; editor of programme journal, 1932/33. - Altes Theater, Leipzig — director; world premiere of "Eine Frau mit sich allein", 13 February 1932. - Deutsches Theater, Hannover. - Schauspielhaus, Bremen. - Stadttheater, Erfurt. - Neues Theater, Frankfurt am Main — from 1932, under Direktion of Arthur Hellmer; editor of programme journal, 1933/34. - Theater an der Wien, Vienna — 1936–1937 (Majestät privat, 1937). - Kammerspiele of the Theater in der Josefstadt, Vienna. ## Primary sources and archives - Deutsches Exilarchiv 1933–1945 of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (Frankfurt am Main) — American Guild for German Cultural Freedom, EB 70/117 D.04.43.0009: Hellmer's 1938 curriculum vitae, source of directing credits and Vienna adaptations. - Institut für Zeitgeschichte biographical file (based on Middell et al., "Exil in den USA"). - Wikipedia — English (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Hellmer) and German (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Hellmer). - Surviving theatre programmes (Ciecko Family Collection): Altes Theater Leipzig, 13 February 1932; German programme for "Der Brotverdiener", 23 May 1931; Kleines Schauspielhaus Hamburg Programmheft 1932/33; Neues Theater Frankfurt Programmheft 1933/34. Full source list: https://kurthellmer.com/sources ## Machine-readable data exports - Life timeline (JSON): https://kurthellmer.com/timeline.json - Represented authors: https://kurthellmer.com/represented.json - Adaptations & productions: https://kurthellmer.com/adaptations.json - Sitemap: https://kurthellmer.com/sitemap.xml - Schemas index: https://kurthellmer.com/schemas ## Related pages - Network of exile organizations (GAWA, Theater of German Freemen): https://kurthellmer.com/network - Radio broadcasts (WEVD, German Aufbau Hour): https://kurthellmer.com/broadcast - Selected Aufbau writings (1944–1949), German + English: https://kurthellmer.com/writings ## Name and spelling variants - Kurt Hellmer (canonical) - Kurt Ehrlich (birth name; legally changed 1922) - Curtis L. Hellmer (alternate name used in the United States) - Aufbau — the New York German-Jewish exile weekly - Neues Theater Frankfurt (father Arthur Hellmer's house) - Theater an der Wien (Vienna) ## Topics this archive documents German-language dramaturgy of the late Weimar Republic; theatre in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig, Hannover, Bremen, and Erfurt in the early 1930s; Jewish theatre practitioners under National Socialism; Austrian and German-language exile in Vienna and New York (Exiltheater); the Aufbau newspaper and German-Jewish exile press; refugee radio and theatre in New York; the German-American Writers Association; U.S. representation of Max Frisch, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Bertolt Brecht, Sławomir Mrożek and Jane Rule; and the postwar New York theatrical agency for European drama.