Performing citizenship and German amateur theatricals drama and utopianism in the nineteenth century Meike Wagner

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wagner, Meike, author.

Contributor:

Bloomsbury (Firm), publisher.

Series:

Cultural histories series

Cultural histories of theatre and performance

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Amateur theater--Social aspects--Germany.

Amateur theater.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Edition:

1st edition

Place of Publication:

London Methuen Drama 2025

Summary:

This open access book proposes a revision of 19th-century theatre history and examines the contribution of amateur theatre practice to European theatre, by shifting the focus to theatre as a cultural, social and aesthetic practice. Non-professional theatre practice has been largely neglected due to deeply rooted prejudice about its aesthetic standards: a prejudice whose origins can be traced back to influential thinkers in the 18th century. Although it was a massive phenomenon in Europe around 1800, amateur theatre has been overshadowed by professional theatre through a privileging of literary and canonical perspectives in the writing of history. This book argues that amateur theatricals contributed to mainstreaming key concepts of aesthetic education and identity building, as well as establishing educative and aesthetic concepts of bourgeois theatre. Amateur theatres not only provide their audiences with an aesthetic experience, they also give their members the opportunity to become involved in social gatherings and performative schemes of self-learning and self-education. During the late Enlightenment, amateur theatres became an important medium to practice and promote concepts of citizenship and the idea of theatre as a key educational factor in society. Focusing on German-speaking amateur theatricals, with regard to a larger frame of European cultural history, this study investigates how citizen identities were shaped and consolidated through amateur performance practices on page, on stage and behind the scenes. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND licence on bloomsburycollections.com

Contents:

List of Figures

Acknowledgements

Preface

1. Performing Citizenship in German Amateur Theatre

2. The Good Citizens

3. Educating the Citizen/Actor

4. Enlightened Dramaturgies

5. Amateur vs. Professional

Distinction, Cooperation, Transition

6. The 'Uranian Republic'

7. Production and Performance in Urania

8. Performing 'Uranian Citizenship'

9. The Amateur Theatre Citizen

Democratic Irritation, Future Literacy, Self-efficacy

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Other Format:

Print version Wagner, Meike. Performing citizenship and German amateur theatricals

ISBN:

9781350284432

1350284432

OCLC:

1520506211

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license