The German sectionalism of the 18th century admittedly had many disadvantages. It did, however, lead to a strong consciousness of the special nature of the area and people in certain principalities, strengthening their sense of regional identity. One of the most important instruments for this self-portrayal of a region and its mentality was theater. The dominant art form at this time was opera, being most appropriate for representative purposes. Theater as we know it today was still in its infancy. Actors were often journeymen who traveled through the countryside with their notorious carts and set up their palette stages at fairs. What was presented there had much more in common with low comedy and improvisation.

In the meantime, theater took on an important role in the transformation from a feudal to a civil society. While opera and ballet were the representative art forms in which the members of the court saw themselves reflected, the middle classes began – led by the young, ambitious writers of the Enlightenment and their values – to formulate their self-awareness on stage using the spoken word. The impact of this theater was not limited to its audience. The fact that something was said, that claims were made on the stage or that misunderstandings were laughed about in the form of a comedy was civic dialogue. Theater became the mirror and the mouthpiece for the citizens of a city. Theater has clearly remained the art form of the middle class. Attempts to make the spoken-word theater more proletarian have failed. Different from all other forms of mass media, it is an identity-forming, unmistakable forum for self-understanding of the urban, middle class life.

The German theater landscape is unique in this and is closely connected with the life of the respective cities. In contrast to the central theater structures in France and England, its federal roots enable an urbane, self-aware cultural life outside of a major city. Particularly in these times of globalization in which the loss of cultural identity threatens, the federal, diverse German theater landscape is the expression of the spiritual and cultural life of the various German cities.

(John von Düffel, playwright and dramaturg)