Asmus studied German and English Literature, Philosophy and Theatre Sciences in Hamburg, Vienna and Freiburg and spent a year in London in the late sixties where he lived in the vibrant Camden Town with the North Villas set. Experience as an actor and director at University drama groups. First publications After two years as co-director of Theatre in der Tonne, he worked at the Schiller Theatre in Berlin as assistant director/dramaturgical collaborator and director. There he met Samuel Beckett in 1974 and was assistant for the author's renowned production of "Waiting for Godot", 1975. Asmus worked with Samuel Beckett until the authors death in 1989. Since 1976 he was freelance director at the Schiller Theater, Staatstheater Darmstadt, Staatstheater Kassel, Thalia Theater, Theater Freiburg and internationally. 1983-1986 he was director at Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe. He was Professor in the acting department at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannoverufrom 1986ntil he became emeritus in 2006. He was Head of the Department since 1994. Asmus directed all of Samuel Beckett's plays internationally. His 1991 Gate Theatre production of Waiting for Godot was revived several times with the same cast until 2008 and had en suite runs at the Gate Theatre. It went on tour to Chicago, Sevilla, Toronto, Melbourne, London, New York, Beijing and Shanghai. US-tours in 1998 and 2006. It finished after an all-Ireland tour on October 3, 2008. This production of Waiting for Godot was regarded by reviewers and academics alike as "definitive". In 2000 Asmus was Co-director of the international Beckett-Festival "Beckett in Berlin 2000", Berlin.
Selected theatre productions
1977 Happy Days, Bristol Music Centre Teatret, Copenhagen
1978 Waiting for Godot, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York - Endgame, Bristol Music Centre Teatret, Copenhagen
1988 The San Quentin Drama Workshop production of Waiting for Godot from 1984 and Beckett's production of Krapp's Last Tape with Rick Cluchey. Both plays in French for French TV stationsLa Sept and France 3 and US station PBS, Paris
Film
2000 Footfalls for the Beckett on Film Project, Dublin. The Waiting for Godot film for the same project was based on his 1991 production of the play at the Gate Theatre.
Numerous publications and interviews about the collaboration with Samuel Beckett in periodicals e.g. Theater Heute, Theater Quarterly and The Journal of Beckett Studies.
Awards
2004 Nomination for the Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Award for best direction of a play
2009/ 2010 AIR AWARD and Artist-in-Residence at the Metabolic Studio Pipeline Project, Los Angeles.