“For the first time I had my own company: a group of actors that met twice a week for training sessions. That way we could work thoroughly and develop the plays in-depth. This allowed us to create our own unique style. Programmatically we did pioneer work as we specialized on presenting German-language plays in English translation. Most of them were American premieres.”
Gregorij von Leïtis (photo: John Harris) On October 11, 1983, Gregorij von Leïtis founded the Elysium Theater Company in New York City together with Henry S.R. Alford. With Stella by Goethe, the inaugural performance took place at the Nat Horne Theatre on February 2, 1984. Under the direction of Gregorij von Leïtis, 23 theatrical productions were staged and 50 plays were presented in the form of staged readings during the ten seasons of the Elysium Theater Company (from 1983 to 1992). In May 1993, Gregorij von Leïtis and Michael Lahr opened the doors of Elysium - between two continents in Munich. The focus of the activities had changed: Elysium no longer exclusively presented German-language plays in English translation in the United States, but American music and literature were also brought to the stage in Germany and other European countries. The goal, however, remained the same: to use the means of art to build bridges of friendship and understanding between Europe and the United States.
This was done, for example, through the International Summer Academy for Young Singers, which took place from 1994 to 2012, through the Elysium Festival Bernried, which was organized at Lake Starnberg from 2004 to 2012, and through tours of concerts, readings, and musical-literary collages through Europe and North America. From 1993 to 2020, Gregorij von Leïtis has initiated and participated in over 600 events in more than 100 locations as part of Elysium - between two continents.