PH.D DOCTORIAL DISSERTATION
Reconstructing the East German Extravaganza: Acquisition and appropriation of revue practice at the Friedrichstadt-Palast since 1945
The dissertation investigates the cultural production regimes of large-scale revue shows during and after East German socialism. It interprets formerly Marxist concepts of cultural acquisition and appropriation in terms of performance studies and applies this lens to an analysis of the Friedrichstadt-Palast’s revue practices since 1945. For the first time, it considers the contiguity of revue practice from before and after German reunification in 1990 by construing the revue as the epitome of performance reconstruction. The concepts developed include dramaturgical (perspective consciousness), embodied (socialist virtuosity), and technological (techno-futurism) considerations that shaped and shape the directorial practice of German show theatre.
Supervisors: Dr Kate Elswit, Dr Catherine Hindson
Examiners: Prof Laura Bradley, Dr Katja Krebs
You can download the thesis here.