The German Theatre System Has a Problem With Power and Discrimination

HowlRound Theatre Commons: I was born into a family of theatre artists. When I was a boy, my parent’s friends always told me that theatre was definitely “the most beautiful place in the world.” This leitmotiv guided me for half of my life. How could it not be true—after all, it was the theatre of Goethe and Schiller, of Max Reinhard, Erwin Piscator and Bertolt Brecht! However, after my first experiences in the theatre I began to doubt the leitmotiv. I heard stories about toxic directors, abuse, and discrimination and felt it myself. I wanted to find out the truth about the conditions in German theatres.