Theatre in Europe Under German Occupation

The Second World War went beyond previous military conflicts. It was not only about specific geographical gains or economic goals, but also about the brutal and lasting reshaping of Europe as a whole. Theatre in Europe Under German Occupation explores the part that theatre played in theNaziwar effort.Using a case-study approach, it illustrates the crucial and heavily subsidised role of theatre as a cultural extension of the military machine, key to Nazi Germany’s total war doctrine. Covering theatres in Oslo, Riga, Lille, Lodz, Krakau, Warsaw, Prague, The Hague and Kiev, Anselm Heinrich looks at the history and context of their operation; the wider political, cultural and propagandistic implications in view of their function in wartime; and their legacies. Theatre in Europe Under German Occupation focuses for the first time on Nazi Germany’s attempts to control and shape the cultural sector in occupied territories, shedding new light on the importance of theatre for the regime’s military and political goals.

Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Discourses Origins Occupation Beginnings Subsidies Titles, Benefits, Salaries Investment in Material Conditions Repertoires Audiences Aesthetics Programme Notes Germanisierung Battling Stakeholders, Competing Influences Problems and Inconsistencies Theatre and Holocaust Aftermath Conclusion Glossary Bibliography

Anselm Heinrich isSenior Lecturerof Theatre Studies in theSchool of Culture and Creative Arts, University of Glasgow.