The symptoms of the impending catastrophe in the final repertoire of the New Koenigsberg Drama Theatre
- DOI
- 10.5922/vestnikpsy-2026-1-6
- Pages
- 70-82
Abstract
The article analyzes the final plays from the surviving repertoire of the Neues Schauspielhaus (New Dramatic Theater) in Königsberg, staged in April 1944, four months before the destruction of the city’s historic center due to Anglo-American bombing. The aim of the study is to identify the specifics of the theater’s dramaturgical repertoire selection during the Nazi era in a frontline city, in the context of its historical fate. The plays of Hermann Sudermann — “Teya,” “Fritzchen,” and “The Last Visit” — as well as Johan Braun’s comedy “Through My Eyes” are examined. A comparative analysis of the works is conducted, and a hermeneutic interpretation of their imagery and semantic features is provided. The study reveals the ambiguity of the chosen repertoire, which combines Sudermann’s propagandistic plays with Braun’s entertaining comedy that reflects mythological motifs. The selection of plays is shown to be symptomatic, conveying the eschatological moods of society in Nazi Germany against the backdrop of the city’s impending catastrophe.