Die Schachmaschine oder: Geniestreiche über Geniestreiche

Die Schachmaschine oder: Geniestreiche über Geniestreiche () is a comedy in four acts by Heinrich Beck.

Heinrich Becker (1764-1822/1770-1822)[1].

The original text

The play was written and produced during the Weimar period and, according to Richter, featuring as no 9 (ahead of Schiller's Maria Stuart) on a list of the ten most popular works of the time in Germany.

Performed by the Weimar Court Theatre in 1795, apparently as Die Schachmaschine and attributed to Heinrich Beck.

Performed by the Deutsche Schauspieler-Gesellschaft, Düsseldorf in 1804 under the full title and now attributed to Heinrich Becker.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

1802: Performed on 13 February 1802 as Die Schachmaschine oder Genie Streiche ueber Genie Streiche by the Hoogduitsch Gezelschap van het Liefhebbery Theater ("The High German Company for Amateur Theatre") in Cape Town.

According to F.C.L. Bosman (1928) the advert for this production is the first extant formal advertisement for any performance in South Africa.

Sources

Programme for a performance by Deutsche Schauspieler-Gesellschaft, Düsseldorf in 1804.ZVDD Digital Collections[2]F.C.L. Bosman, 1928. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel I: 1652-1855. Pretoria: J.H. de Bussy. [3]: pp. 78,

Lesley Sharpe. 2007. National Repertoire: Schiller, Iffland and the German Stage. Peter Lang: p. 164. [4]

Simon Richter. 2005. The Literature of Weimar Classicism. Boydell & Brewer: p.142[5]

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Becker_(Schauspieler)

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