German Expressionist Theatre

German Expressionist Theatre considers the powerfully stylized, antirealistic styles of symbolic acting on the German Expressionist stage from 1916 to 1921. It relates this striking departure from the dominant European acting tradition of realism to the specific cultural crises that enveloped the German nation during the course of its involvement in World War I. The examination of portions of previously untranslated Expressionist scripts and actor memoirs allows for an unprecedented focus on description and analysis of the acting itself.