Theatre and Film, Johnny Carson School of
Date of this Version
2004
Citation
“Rules, Regulations, and the Reich,” in Essays on Twentieth Century German Drama and Theatre, Ed. Helmuth Rennert, Frankfurt: Lang, 2004. pp. 196-201.
Abstract
On September 22, 1933 the National Socialist cabinet, under Chancellor Adolf Hitler, passed the Reich Cultural Chamber Law (the Reichskulturkammergesetz), giving Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels charge of an organization the new Law created, the Reich Cultural Chamber. Theatre Chamber reserved the right to license productions for any theatre performance; but like most bureaucracies, it expanded its domain of authority, increased its budgetary needs, and consolidated its power. The Reich Theater Act (Reichstheatergesetz) in 1934 sustained those efforts. On September 15, 1935 the Theatrical Trade Guild (Fachschaft Bühne) was founded in accordance with the so-called Nuremberg Laws, which redefined the legal status of several classes of citizens within Germany. Goebbels named Dr. Rainer Schlösser Reich Dramaturg, with authority over all aspects of repertoire selection in the Reich..