At first you don’t know exactly: is it good news or bad news? The two Munich publishers, the “Drei Maske Verlag” and the “Theaterstückverlag” merged. In times of crisis and especially in a time after the lockdown, when there were hardly any performances and thus hardly any income for theater publishers, the situation is not exactly rosy. But Dirk Olaf Hanke, head of the Drei Maske publishing house, and Brigitte Korn-Wimmer, founder of the theater play publishing house, clearly oppose an assumption that the step cannot be entirely voluntary. The decision was personally motivated. They also see their merger as “strengthening through integration”. In short: it’s good news.
“This merger is very, very much wanted,” says Korn-Wimmer. From January 2023 onwards, the theater play publisher is to be integrated as an independent brand in Drei Maske Verlag. The first approaches in this regard were made three years ago. “I want a personal change,” says Korn-Wimmer. “The publisher is not in trouble.” It is a personal, but also an artistic decision. She wanted the publishing house to stay in Munich, but also wanted the programs and ideas to fit together in the event of a merger. She sees that redeemed at Drei Maske Verlag. And Hanke also says: “It’s like a yin and yang sign.”
Brigitte Korn-Wimmer, founder of the Munich theater play publishing house.
(Photo: Franz Wimmer)
Brigitte Korn-Wimmer founded the Theaterstückverlag in Munich in 1993, with a focus on children’s and young people’s theatre. Previously, she was dramaturge at the Munich Schauburg and for an international theater festival in Italy. So she came to the publishing house from the theater side and is familiar with the production processes at the houses. She also translates from Italian into German, edits texts for the Young Theater and contributes linguistic skills. That was certainly not insignificant for their new foundation. She currently puts the number of authors and composers at 350, that of the title at 600. The success is also reflected in other figures, for example when it comes to the German Children’s and Youth Theater Prize. In 2022 her publishing house was on the shortlist three times, in 2020 seven times out of 20 selected texts. The children’s theater prize went to one of their authors, Theo Fransz.
The Drei Maske Verlag is larger with 1800 titles in the program. It was founded in Munich in 1910 as a stage and music publisher, lived in Berlin for a while during the Nazi era, and returned to Munich in 1951. The portfolio is large, a lot of contemporary – for example the play of the hour “Destructed Streets” by the Ukrainian author Natalia Vorozhbyt – up to Karl Valentin. Hanke took over management in 2016. Werner Rieder, sole shareholder and managing director of the publishing house, died in early 2022. This led to new developments this year: Hanke is now the head of the publishing house and managing director, as well as a partner in the company together with Michael Reuther.
Dirk Olaf Hanke, publishing manager of the Munich “Drei Maske Verlag”.
(Photo: Private)
Mind you, in a time of crisis and post-crisis. “After two years of the pandemic, none of us has money behind us,” says Hanke. Without Corona and its consequences, 2020 would have been “the strongest financial year”, he estimates. But he puts the drop in sales at 80 percent, in 2021 at 64 percent, and in 2022 he will not reach the normal level either. Nevertheless: Hanke sees the development positively. More and more theaters ordered commissioned works, and the stories returned to the stage. “I have the feeling it attracts.” So he sees more social themes being developed for acting. And instead of dystopias, ideas and ways of living together are shown how things could be done differently, “even if it’s only in the interpersonal context”.
Incidentally, things also work well between the two publishing directors on an interpersonal level, which is conveyed very clearly in a joint conversation; their assessment of theatre, of texts, of their passion for working with authors, is very close. In addition, the merger is not associated with job cuts: Korn-Wimmer’s only employee is moving to Drei Maske Verlag, where all jobs will also be retained. Hanke even announces further expansion. And Korn-Wimmer plans to continue to work in an advisory capacity for the time being and also to continue translating. So it’s a good transition from two to one.