Rathausausstellung 2026 - Tafel 18: Klassik, Unterhaltung und Politik | Town-hall Exhibition 2026 - Panel 18: The classics, entertainment, and politics

Case in point: the Deutsches Schauspielhaus Under the Nazi regime, theatre was meant to strengthen the sense of Volksgemeinschaft, or national community. The Reichstheaterkammer [Reich Theatre Chamber] stipulated which plays were to be performed. Modern, socio-critical plays and those written by Jewish authors were removed from the repertoire. Comedies, which were seen as apolitical entertainment, the classics, and plays by National Socialist playwrights were permitted. The Schauspielhaus adhered to these guidelines and, for the most part, staged the classics. Political interference in its programming remained the exception. In 1941, the Reich Ministry of Propaganda banned a play by the Finnish author Hella Wuolijoki because she was a communist.