The Assumption of Hannele
| The Ascension of Little Hannele | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Gerhart Hauptmann |
| Date premiered | 14 December 1893 |
| Original language | German |
| Genre | Symbolism |
The Ascension of Little Hannele (German: Hanneles Himmelfahrt), also known simply as Hannele, is an 1893 play by the German playwright Gerhart Hauptmann. In contrast to Hauptmann's naturalistic dramas, The Assumption of Hannele adopts a more symbolist dramaturgy and includes a dream sequence. The play is the first in recorded world literature with a child as its heroine. It was first published in 1894. Hauptmann was awarded the Grillparzer Prize in 1896 for the play.
The play received its première under the title Hannele at the Königliches Schauspielhaus in Berlin, opening on 14 December 1893. The production was directed by Max Grube, with music by Max Marschalk. The cast included Adalbert Matkowsky.
The play was directed by the seminal Russian theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski with his Society of Art and Literature in Moscow, in a production that opened on 14 April [O.S. 2 April] 1896. At the request of Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, who considered Hauptmann to be a playwright superior to Henrik Ibsen, the play was to be included in the repertoire of the first season of their world-famous Moscow Art Theatre. At the play's first read-though, it reduced the entire company, with the exception of Vsevolod Meyerhold (who had been cast as the Angel of Death), to tears. On 8 November [O.S. 27 October] 1898, however, the production was banned, following protests made by the Russian Orthodox Church, despite having been passed by the censor.
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