This book contains the proceedings of a symposium that took place in Melbourne in September
2006. Its focus is on theatre at the intersection of culture and politics during and after
German reunification and the evolution of the Berlin Republic. The book considers how canonical
and new theatrical works including those performed at the renowned former East German theatres
- the Deutsches Theater the Volksbühne and the Berliner Ensemble - resonated with
reunification. Topics include the dynamics of theatrical performance the emergent performative
identities the new alliances between theatre and the world the re-engagement with history and
the shifting perspectives of nationalism transnationalisation and globalisation. These matters
acquire renewed focus with the approach of the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the wall in
2009. The book is the first to offer English-speaking readers a collection of essays on the key
theatrical productions of this dynamic period of cultural and political change. Underlying the
collection is a reaffirmation of the continuing relevance of theatre to events in the public
sphere.
