Co-opting Classicism and Debating Cultural Identity on the German National Stage in Mannheim

The German stage was dominated by Italian operas and translations of French and Shakespearean dramas at the beginning of the eighteenth century, but numerous voices were also calling for significant reforms. Johann Christoph Gottsched was among the first critics to exhort Germans to produce their own plays. He was followed by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, who urged German playwrights to stage the issues confronting the emerging middle class, while Johann Gottfried Herder was a passionate proponent of dramas based on German historical figures, events, or myths. Scholarship on the relationship of German theatre to national identity has focused almost exclusively on playwrights' response to these repeated calls. In his introduction to National Theatres in a Changing Europe, S. E. Wilmer argues that national theatres and their audiences "can be regarded as a potential microcosm of the nation (or elite of that nation) in an active forum for national debate" about cultural identity (2). Indeed, an examination of the discussions and activities at these institutions can offer insights into the early formation of a nation's character - whether realized or only "imagined," as Benedict Anderson has argued. In the case of the German-speaking world, scholars have concentrated their attention primarily on the repertories at the four major theatres - Hamburg (1767), Weimar (1775, with the arrival of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe), Vienna (1776), and Mannheim (1779) - established during the age of Enlightenment when the discourse on German identity began in earnest. Recent studies on the extent to which these artistic centres aided and advanced the creation of a German nation or a sense of cultural nationalism cover a broad spectrum - from little or no contribution (Echternkamp 132-33; Krebs 586-88; Steinmetz 150) to significant or major milestones (Höyng 217; Wilmer, "Herder" 64). Regardless of whether or not they see the theatre as central to the formation of national identity, scholars have reached their conclusions by analysing the same material - the authorship and subject matter of the plays performed. While an examination of German plays and playwrights in the eighteenth century is clearly essential, this study expands the scope of the investigation to include what the actors themselves have to say on the matter of national identity. In contrast to the published dramas, the actual recorded minutes of the meetings between the director and the actors at the National Theatre in Mannheim during the 1780s have received little attention. This study aims, fi rst, to better understand how the actors in Mannheim were engaged in discussions not only about the dramatic arts but also about cultural nationalism and, second, to ascertain who or what influenced their opinions on these issues. In this way, the Mannheim theatre might well serve as a potential microcosm of the slowly emerging German nation itself.

Baron Wolfgang Heribert von Dalberg, the managing director of the National Theatre in Mannheim (1778-1801), took his position and that of his theatre seriously. Like Lessing in Hamburg, Goethe in Weimar, and Joseph von Sonnenfels in Vienna, Dalberg dedicated himself to elevating the quality of German dramatic productions in order to improve the dismal reputation of German theatre. Beginning in October 1782, he organized for the actors of his ensemble a contest consisting of a series of questions on the nature of the theatre and the philosophy of their art. The winner was to be selected by Dalberg himself, after consulting with a number of playwrights and members of the Palatine German Society, and would receive a prize of twelve ducats. At most meetings from then until May 1784, Dalberg posed a dramaturgical question - such as "Was ist Natur und welches sind die wahren Grenzen derselben bei theatralischen Vorstellungen?" or "Was ist Anstand auf der Bühne, und welches sind die Mittel selben zu Erlangen?" (Martersteig 72, 96). Each member of the troupe was asked to answer that particular question in writing by the next meeting. But it is the ninth and final question regarding the concept of a national theatre - "Was ist National-Schaubühne im eigentlichsten Verstande?" (Martersteig 259) - that reflects the larger debate about cultural nationalism and...