Theatre

The task of putting on a play requires a great deal of preparation. As a result, given the other activities happening in the camp, it is not surprising that the overall number of plays performed was relatively low. This must have been frustrating for potential audiences. However, the groups which did perform were not lacking in ambition, and performed classics by Shakespeare¹, Calderon¹, Hans Sachs³, Goethe^,4, Kleist⁵, Lessing⁶ and Schiller^7,8. Plays by near contemporary authors: Anzengruber⁹, Freytag¹⁰, Ibsen¹¹ , Meyer-Förster¹² , Sudermann¹³ and Wildenbruch¹⁴ were also performed as was a popular contemporary play: Bonn¹⁵ and comedies: Jacoby/Laufs¹⁶, Rössler¹⁷, Blumenthal/Kadelburg¹⁸.

It would appear that the behaviour of the audiences was not always very good. The “Rules for Theatre Goers”¹⁹ make fun of this. In the final edition of the newspaper there is an article about stage sets with illustrations from some plays which were performed²⁰. A number of Variety Evenings were held in the camp, but there is only a description of one of them in the newspaper²¹. Gymnastic events also provided entertainment. They are described in the Gymnastics section.

Footnotes

• 1.#2.14(40): The Taming of the Shrew, Page 8
• 2.#2.08(34): Life is a Dream, Page 11
• 3.#1.16: The Hans Sachs Evening, Page 8
• 4.#3.19(72): Egmont, Page 1
• 5.#2.1(27): The Broken Jug, Page 12
• 6.#1.08: Minna von Barnhelm, Page 5
• 7.#1.07: The Bell, Page 5
• 8.#2.06(32): Wallenstein's Camp, Page 9
• 9.#1.10: Camp Chronicle for the 25^th of August 1917, Page 3
• 10. #1.10: Camp Chronicle for the 3^rd of June 1917, Page 2
• 11. #4.04(83): The Pillars of Society, Page 21
• 12. #3.4(57): Old Heidelberg, Page 8
• 13. #1.02: The Journalists, Page 7
• 14. #1.22: The Lady of Rabenstein, Page 7
• 15. #1.17: Sherlock Holmes, Page 7
• 16. #1.13: The Schöller Boarding House, Page 10
• 17. #3.15(68): The Two Seals, Page 5
• 18. #3.25(78): The White Horse Inn, Page 6
• 19. #2.13(39): Rules for Theatre Goers, Page 11
• 20. #4.06(85): Stage Sets, Page 3
• 21. #4.04(83): Variety Evening, Page 39

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