One of the most significant expressions of culture can be viewed through the medium of art. This is why I have chosen and will begin my Walking Tour at the Volksbühne Theatre. This theatre came to represent an important aspect of the culture of East Berlin. Many actors would perform original as well as plays that were adapted for the leftist audiences. These performances portrayed pro-communist themes and other themes that aligned themselves with the East German state. Today, the theatre is still active and the left-wing messages can still be found in current performances, which are usually attended by the most progressive Berliner with Ostalgie for the good old days.

According to the Volksbühne's main webpage, the theatre first opened its doors in 1914 and was designed by architect Oskar Kaufmann. Located on Rosa Luxemburg Platz, named after Polish-German communist and co-founder of the Spartacist League Rosa Luxemburg, the theatre can seat over 800 people and has always had its roots in leftist political thought. Many famous artists and playwrights have contributed performance and/or other shows to the theatre. They include Max Reinhardt, Erwin Piscador, Benno Besson, Heiner Müller, Frank Castorf, and Christoph Schlingensief. "The Volksbühne is home to theatre, dance, performance, music, cinema, visual arts and digital cultures. At its core, it is a reflection on the contemporary, the future of theatre and on new relationships between forms, disciplines and practices. Artists from Berlin, Europe and the world are invited to contribute to an ever-evolving urban society."[1]

[1] https://www.volksbuehne.berlin/en/#top

"An Escalating Row over the Future of Berlin's Most Iconic Theatre." The Economist. October 05, 2017. Accessed March 24, 2019. https://www.economist.com/europe/2017/10/05/an-esc....

"Volksbühne Berlin Official Website." Volksbühne Berlin. Accessed March 27, 2019. https://www.volksbuehne.berlin/en/

I have placed the Volksbühne Theatre on my Ostalgie Walking Tour as it has contributed to the artistic culture in Berlin over a century. In doing so, the theatre has become a refuge for many artists. The theatre has also been targeted by state censorship; an important and pressing issue in the GDR. The Volksbühne Theatre was targeted by state officials for several decades and that doesn't just include censorship from the GDR, but also from the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany.

According to Davies, "At the end of the war the German theatrical scene was one empty waste; nearly all theatre buildings had been destroyed, the companies were scattered and many leading figured had emigrated."[1] The area around the theatre became dangerous as the streets were filled with thieves and robbers. A few weeks after the Russian entered Berlin, a group of Berliners petitioned the Soviets to reorganize all of the theatre companies in Berlin and to reestablish the Volksbühne. Another petition appeared in the newspaper Tägliche Rundshau with the signatures of thirty individuals including that of Karl-Heinz Martin.

Most of those who organized Berlin's theatre scene were members of Germany's Social Democratic Party and were not Communists. This fact made the East German state to take notice. One example given by Davies dates from February of 1952 when Frank Lothar directed a play called 'Perspectives' by Tennenborn. The play highlighted the persecution of the Church in an undisclosed Communist state but there were several hints that the state in the play was in fact the GDR. The producers feared that some of those in the audience could be East German spies and took precautions to not promote the play, despite continuing to show it. These actions would lead to additional conflicts and difficulties for the theatre over the next half century.[2]

Finally, from 1945 to 1961, the other Allied powers located in West Berlin had been able to cross into East Berlin and attend performances at the Volksbühne. During this time, the Allies often gave notes on how to improve the theatre's cultural impact on Berlin. This lead to an angry response printed in a local newspaper, "The Allied Command informed the city authorities by letter that they were very concerned for the lack of culture in Berlin. That is charming of the Berlin Allied Command. We don't know whether the letter began, 'Hello, Boys, make a bit more Culture!' It's possible we're a clumsy people politically and are open to good teaching in this area. But they had better leave concern over our cultural development to us'."[3]

[1] The Volksbühne Movement: A History by Cecil Davies p. 119.

[2] The Volksbühne Movement: A History by Cecil Davies p. 130

[3] The Volksbühne Movement: A History by Cecil Davies p. 130

Balme, Christopher B., and Szymanski-Dull, B. Theatre, Globalization and the Cold War (Palgrave/McMillian, 2019)"Theatre for the People: Story of the Volksbühne by Cecil Davies"

Bradley, Laura J. R. Cooperation and Conflict: GDR Theatre Censorship, 1961-1989. (Oxford, Oxford University Press), 2010.

Davies, Cecil, The Volksbühne Movement: A History (Amsterdam, Hardwood Academic, 2000)