Entertainment, Propaganda, Education
Regional theatre in Germany and Britain between 1918 and 1945
Anselm Heinrich
A comparative study of regional theatre in Britain and Germany during the key period of 1918 to 1945
"This is an exciting, original and ground-breaking book which will become essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the history of provincial theatre in Britain and Germany"
Jeffrey Richards, Professor of Cultural History, Lancaster University
"the quality of the research is exemplary and has produced a welcome addition to national theatre histories of both Britain and Germany."
Claire Cochrane, New Theatre Quarterly
"His study is meticulously researched, complex in its analyses and built on impressive archive work ... his conclusions as well as the principal approach are exemplary in developing new historiographic perspectives, beyond ‘great’ productions and national narratives."
Peter W. Marx, Theatre Research International
“Challenging conventional assumptions in theses areas, his book provides an exciting and original read for those interested in the relationship between culture and politics.”
Nadine Rossol, Sehepunkte
"His is a tour de force of comparative criticism and investigative theatre research."
John Guthrie, Modern language Review
“This approach results in a genuinely original and interesting study.”
Andrew G. Bonnell, European History Quarterly
Dr Heinrich takes Yorkshire and Westphalia as his two representative regions, detailing the history of theatre in York, Hull, Sheffield, Bradford and Leeds as well as in Münster, Dortmund, Hagen, Bielefeld and Bochum. Having detailed the histories and repertoires of individual theatres, he goes on to examine their social function, with interesting results. The perception of theatre in Britain changed dramatically during the War years: suddenly the British government became interested in influencing the arts and introduced state subsidies on an unprecedented scale. At the heart of the new policy was not only the belief that theatre could play an important role in the war effort (as both entertainment and education) but also a concept of municipal theatre provision which was, in effect, similar to that which already prevailed in Germany.
In Germany, despite claims by the Nazis that theatre programmes must reflect National-Socialist ideas, regional repertoires remained largely unchanged from the days of the Weimar Republic, with comedies, farces and operettas designed to appeal to public taste.
In successfully challenging dominant views regarding the alleged fundamental differences between British and German theatre, Dr Heinrich's findings mean that, to an extent, a key chapter in European theatre history must be rewritten.
Dr Anselm Heinrich is Lecturer in Theatre Studies at the University of Glasgow. He has published on different aspects of British and German history.
Published with the Society for Theatre Research
ISBN 978-1-902806-74-7
October 2007, 288pp
Hardback £25.00 / $50.00
ISBN 978-1-902806-75-4
March 2008, 288pp
Paperback £14.99 / $29.95