This book is the fullest and most detailed study yet published in English of Ernst Toller's plays and their most significant productions. In particular the productions directed by Karl-Heinz Martin, Jurgen Fehling and Erwin Piscator are closely analyzed and the author demonstrates how, brilliant though they were, they obscured or even distorted Toller's intentions. The plays are seen as eminently stage-worthy while worth lies in Toller's use of language, both in prose and inverse. The neglected puppet-play The Scorned Lovers' Revenge is analyzed from a new perspective in the light,...

This publication is the first comprehensive account in English of the history of the Freie Volksb DEGREESD"hne, founded in Berlin in 1890 through the interaction of Social Democracy and Theatrical Naturalism. Cecil Davies details the nationwide growth of the Volksb DEGREESD"hne Movement during the 1920s through the 1990s - including Germany's stormy history up to World War I, the problems associated with building the Volksbuhne's own theatre, and the reunification of Germany. Weight is given to the contributions of major figures in the movement such as Bruno Wille, Siegfried Nestriepke, and...