West German Theatre in the Period of Reconstruction

Abstract

It is more true of the theatre than of the field of literature that the years 1945–50 set the course for later developments and influenced events until far into the 1960s. Theatre, more than other arts, is an institution, and institutions are — perhaps especially in Germany — ponderous and only changed with difficulty. Thus, decisions made in the 1940s determined the theatre scene for years: a very simple example is that of the long-term contracts with directors and actors.