Exploring circuses, Jargon theaters, and revue theaters has led us to appreciate the variety of Jewish identities in German public spheres. The meritocratic nature of popular entertainment and the relative absence of ethnic discrimination before the First World War attracted formerly marginalized groups such as German Jews to all forms of show business. Here they hoped to find an opening into a German society that had remained more than reserved toward these new German citizens even after legal emancipation had stipulated their civic rights in the course of national unification in 1871. Jewish men and women worked as actors, directors, sponsors, managers, and agents. Many Jewish entrepreneurs could also be found in the supporting industries, such as garment-making and publishing. In addition, German Jews not only were involved on the production side but also were avid consumers of popular live entertainment. As popular entertainment developed into a booming industry, distinct genres began to satisfy the specific needs of a range of spectators. Within these genres, Jewish artists sought to take control of their own voices, claiming an agency they were denied in other arenas. In front of and behind the curtain, popular entertainment offered a space for relatively unrestricted interactions among an unprecedented diversity of social groups. In this arena, as in few others, Jewish actors and acrobats had the opportunity to display and affirm their ethnic identities in the presence of Gentiles and other Jews. The stage in all its variations held a utopian quality in the prewar era.