Guide to the East German poster collection performing arts series, 1955-1997 East German poster C0209

Guide to the East German poster collection performing arts series, 1955-1997

A Collection in
Special Collections and Archives
Collection Number C0209


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George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives

Special Collections & Archives
Fenwick Library (2FL)
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia 22030-4444
USA
Phone: (703) 993-2220
Fax: (703) 993-2669
Email: speccoll@gmu.edu
URL: http://www.gmu.edu/library/specialcollections

March 12, 2012

Funded in part by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources

Processed by: Special Collections and Archives Staff

Repository
George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives
Collection number
C0209
Title
East German poster collection performing arts series 1955-1997
URL:
http://sca.gmu.edu/finding_aids/
Physical Characteristics
941 Posters
Creator
Hill, Thomas
Language
German
Abstract
This series contains posters advertising theater, opera, concert and dance performances in Berlin and other East German cities. This collection consists of 941 posters of various sizes. They range in size from 28 x 58 cm to 86 x 60 cm. The majority of posters measure 57 x 81 cm.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

There may be use restrictions.

Preferred Citation

East German poster collection performing arts series, Collection #0209, Special Collections and Archives, George Mason University.

Acquisition Information

Purchased from Thomas Hill in 2009.

Processing Information

Processed by Lauren Schutt and Friedgard Cowan in 2010-2011. EAD markup completed by Jordan Patty in 2011.

Processing supported by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.

Historical Information

The chronology and content of the posters illustrate an undulating timeline of alternately liberal and conservative phases, during which artists crafted their work in periods of greater or more limited autonomy. The performing arts provided an outlet for dealing with tragedy and turmoil that defined the creation of East Germany. The performances often touched on the legacy of the Nazis, the persecution of the Jewish people, and the division of Germany. Despite the strict censorship in East Germany, during the liberal periods authorities allowed a substantial number of Western performances to take place. In the GDR, America was conceived of primarily as a system of production; its levels of profit and abundance both awed and provoked the wartorn and comparatively impoverished East Germans. The American obsession with productivity and consumption drew the most bitter criticism from German observers. Interesting to consider in this context is the performance of "Ein Yankee an König Artus' Hof" (1982), a play adapted from Mark Twain's novel "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," in which the protagonist's escalating disillusionment with technology is a prominent motif. Even though Fordism may have been grudgingly accepted in the GDR as necessary for economic growth and the ultimate progress of the state, the assimilation of America's cultural barbarism through media imports was fiercely resisted. The state may have resisted America's cultural barbarism, but young people did not. Attending productions of the American media was a chance for them to distance themselves from their parents, from National Socialism, and from the failures of World War II. By the 1970s, changes in the performing arts community occurred, particularly in theatre, that included artists leaving as a result of increased censorship and smaller venues opening in cities and towns outside of Berlin.

Scope and Content

This series contains posters advertising theater, opera, concert and dance performances in Berlin and other East German cities. This collection consists of 941 posters of various sizes. They range in size from 28 x 58 cm to 86 x 60 cm. The majority of posters measure 57 x 81 cm. The performing arts posters present a complex and nuanced view of performance in the German Democratic Republic during the cold-war years. Most of the posters advertise performances in various venues in Berlin such as the Deutsches Theater, the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, the Komische Oper Berlin or the Palast der Republik, but performances in theaters in Leipzig, Dresden, Rostock, Erfurt, Halle, Gera, and Magdeburg are also included. The works advertised on the posters are predominantly classics: plays by Friedrich Schiller, Heinrich von Kleist, Georg Büchner, Shakespeare and Chekhov; operas by G. F. Handel, Mozart, Wagner, Puccini and Verdi, and ballets by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. However, contemporary playwrights like Maxim Gorki, Heiner Müller and Peter Weiss are also represented. Examples include posters from the Berliner Ensembles's premiere production of Bertolt Brecht's "Mother Courage"; Deutsche Theater Kammerspiele's "Der Blaue Boll" by the Expressionist playwright, Ernst Barlach; Landes Theatre Halle's cutting-edge production of "Tamerlan"; Ballet Company of Leipzig's historic performance of "Bilder Der Liebe"; and Maxim Gorki Theatre's "Sinulja" by Alexander Gelman. The majority of the posters consist of drawings or paintings that reflect the artist's interpretation of the works to be performed.

Arrangement

The arrangement is by subject and a numbering system.

Related Material

Special Collections and Archives holds many other posters on the history of East Germany.

Index Terms

    Persons:

  • Drescher, Karl-Heinz, 1936-
  • Grüttner, Erhard
  • Jütte, H. F.
  • Müller, Rolf F.
  • Pfennig, W. D.
  • Walter, Ekkehard
  • Werz, Wilfried
  • Corporate Names:

  • Berliner Ensemble.
  • Bühnen der Stadt Gera.
  • Bühnen der Stadt Magdeburg.
  • Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin.
  • Deutsches Nationaltheater. (Weimar, Thuringia, Germany)
  • Deutsches Theater. (Berlin, Germany)
  • Distel. (Cabaret : Berlin, Germany)
  • Friedrichstadt-Palast. (Berlin, Germany)
  • Goethe-Theater Bad Lauchstädt.
  • Hans Otto Theater. (Potsdam, Germany)
  • Kleist Theater.
  • Komische Oper Berlin.
  • Landesbühnen Sachsen.
  • Landestheater Halle.
  • Leipziger Theater.
  • Maxim Gorki Theater.
  • Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater Schwerin.
  • Oper Leipzig.
  • Palast der Republik. (Berlin, Germany)
  • Staatsschauspiel Dresden. (Dresden, German)
  • Städtische Theater Karl-Marx-Stadt.
  • Theater der Bergarbeiter Senftenberg.
  • Theater der Freundschaft.
  • Theater der Stadt Cottbus.
  • Theater im Palast.
  • Volksbühne. (Berlin, Germany)
  • Volkstheater Rostock.
  • Subjects:

  • Ballet--Performances--Germany (East)--Posters.
  • Children's theater--Performances--Germany (East)--Posters.
  • Comedy--Performances--Germany (East)--Posters.
  • Concert--Performances--Germany (East)--Posters.
  • Dance--Performances--Germany (East)--Posters.
  • Musical Theater--Performances--Germany (East)--Posters.
  • Opera--Performances--Germany (East)--Posters.
  • Performing arts--Performances--Germany (East)--Posters.
  • Theater--Performances--Germany (East)--Posters.
  • Document Types:

  • Concert posters.
  • Dance posters.
  • Exhibition posters.
  • Performing arts posters.
  • Theatrical posters.

Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

  • Drescher, Karl-Heinz, 1936-
  • Grüttner, Erhard
  • Hill, Thomas
  • Jütte, H. F.
  • Müller, Rolf F.
  • Pfennig, W. D.
  • Walter, Ekkehard
  • Werz, Wilfried

Contents List

Series 3: Performing Arts Posters
1955-1997

Poster Inventory with Brief Descriptions

Sample images are also available. Please contact speccoll@gmu.edu for more information.