Abstract
GDR theater was shaped from the beginning by a strongly antifascist, progressive intent, working on the assumption that people could be turned into socialist “New Men” by exposure to positive role models. Yet it soon became apparent that the GDR regime was really interested in holding power, not in social innovation ‐ as Brecht found. Brecht nonetheless left a lasting impression on GDR theater, which clung forever after to his idealistic vision of an intellectual, probing, imaginative theater. A vibrant theatrical establishment grew up not just in Berlin, but throughout the GDR. The theater became a place of social comment and critique, a role which continued through and after the collapse of the GDR in 1989–90. This living “interventionist” tradition, directly traceable to Brecht, is now endangered by a wave of German theater closures.
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