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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zaab Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 46106 I I 76-24,630 KREMLING, Helmut John, 1941- GERMAN DRAMA ON THE CLEVELAND STAGE: PERFORMANCES IN GERMAN AND ENGLISH FROM 1850 TO THE PRESENT. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1976 Literature, Germanic Xerox University MicrofilmsAnn , Arbor, Michigan 48106 © Copyright by Helmut John Kremling 1976 GERMAN DRAMA ON THE CLEVELAND STAGE: PERFORMANCES IN GERMAN AND ENGLISH FROM 1850 TO THE PRESENT DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Helmut John Kremling, B.S., M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 1976 Reading Committee: Approved ] Professor David H. Miles r Professor Henry J. Schmidt Professor Charles W*. Hoffmann Adviser Department of German ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For helping to nurture the idea for this dissertation my thanks go to John Sinnema and Robert Ward. I express my gratitude to Henry Schmidt, Charles Hoffmann, and David Miles for their constructive advice concerning style, organiza­ tion, and presentation. I am also indebted to Kurt Guddat for his consistent support and to Betty De Vries and Ann Nagy for typing the manuscript. To the staff of the library of the Western Reserve Historical Society, and especially to Constance Koehn of the literature section of the Cleveland Public Library, I render thanks for help in my research. ii VITA May 29, I9U1 .......... Born - Temesvar, Romania 1 9 6 3 .................. B.S., John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio 19 6 5-I9 6 6 ............ English Teacher, Thomas Edison. Occupational High School, Cleveland, Ohio 1 9 6 6 -1 9 6 8 ............ Teaching Assistant, German Department, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 1 9 6 8 .................. M.A., Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 1 9 6 8 -Present.......... Instructor, Assistant Professor, Department of German and Russian, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio iii TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION................................................. Chapter I. THE AUDIENCE--THE GERMAN IMMIGRANTS............. Three Waves of Immigrants Population Statistics Vereine Activities II. THEATRICAL BEGINNINGS, 1820-1860 .................... Cleveland's Cultural Growth German Clubs Initiate Theater, 1 8 5 0 s First Professional German Theater in Cleveland, 1856 Comparison with the Contemporary Theater in Germany and the Contemporary English-Language Theater in Cleveland Opposition to the Theater III. PROGRESS FOR CLEVELAND’S GERMAN-LANGUAGE THEATER . Two Seasons under F. Szwirschina, I8 7 2 -I8 7 U Another Attempt in 1 8 8 5 Comparison with the Contemporary Theater in Germany IV. LAST AND GREATEST CLEVELAND GERMAN-LANGUAGE THEATER ERA.......................................... Establishing of a Theaterverein, 1899 Two Seasons under A. Wurster, 1899-1901 Two Seasons under A. Sandory, 1901-1903 One Season under F Nolte, 1903-190^ Comparison with the Contemporary Theater in Germany and the Contemporary English-Language Theater in Cleveland V. ON ACTING IN CLEVELAND'S GERMAN-LANGUAGE THEATER . 89 The Star System in America Imported Players for Cleveland VI. A CROSS-SECTIONAL ANALYSIS AND CLASSIFICATION OF THE REPERTOIRE................................. 99 1872-187U: Farces and Folk-Plays by Kneisel, Birch-Pfeiffer, and Benedix l899~190I+: Farces by Schonthan and Kadelburg, Melodramas by Sudermann, and Tragedies by Schiller Four Representative Plays: Kotzebue's Menschenhass und Reue, Gutzkow's Uriel Acosta, Moser's Per Bibliothekar, Sudermann's Heimat VII. SPECULATIONS ABOUT THE RISE AND FALL OF THE GERMAN-LANGUAGE THEATER INCLUDING COMMENTS ABOUT AUDIENCE TASTES IN CLEVELAND................ 136 German Plays for a German-American Audience The Limited Audience Scandals and Financial Difficulties VIII, GERMAN PLAYS IN TRANSLATION IN CLEVELAND SINCE THE FIRST WORLD WAR................................ The Beginnings of Good Theater for Cleveland, 1915 Two Large Productions from New York: Hauptmann’s The Weavers, 1916 and Reinhardt *s The Miracle, I9 2U Expressionistic Plays in Cleveland, 1 9 2 0 s and 1 9 3 0 s Dearth of German Plays, 19^-Os Renewed Interest in German Drama, 1 9 5 0s and 1 9 6 0s Conclusion 182 APPENDIX................................................... 190 A. German Plays of 1872-187^ Seasons B. German Plays of 1885 Season C. German Plays of l899-190k Seasons D. German Plays in Translation since W.W.I SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................... 201 v INTRODUCTION New York, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, Baltimore, Columbus (Ohio), and other cities have had their German theaters recognized in print; this is not true of Cleveland, whose German-language theater has remained a near secret Even after a long search, one finds only vague references to German- language plays in Cleveland. The attempt to rectify the neglect is, I believe, both justified and timely; justified, because during the several seasons of its existence, the German-language theater in Cleveland achieved a degree of excellence that placed it on a par with any except New York's; timely, because the present Bicentennial period places additional emphasis on the cultural heritage of the United States. The first five chapters of this study present the creation, development, and demise of Cleveland's German-language theater by con­ sidering the historical period, the audiences involved, the reception of the performances, and the players themselves. Realizing that under standing and appreciation are best achieved through comparison, I have attempted throughout to contrast Cleveland’s German-language theater with the American theater and with Germany' s contemporary stage. Chapter six summarizes the repertoire of Cleveland's German theater in general and discusses four plays in particular. The four 2 were chosen as being representative of the plays presented during the period, and because of their general, importance for the German and American theater. Since these four plays are nearly unknown today, some space has been devoted to description as well as analysis. Chap­ ter seven, in reviewing the rise and fall of Cleveland's German- language theater, ventures to draw conclusions about audience tastes and attitudes. The final section then treats modern German drama in translation. In this chapter I have discussed the critical reception of the performances of nearly all the translated or adapted modern German plays produced in Cleveland since the First World War. The whole study covers a period of approximately 150 years, from the first theatrical activity in Cleveland in 1820 to the present. While only the more important periods, people, and plays have been selected for actual discussion, the appendix lists all the plays per­ formed during the three major periods of the German theater and most of the translated German plays performed this century in Cleveland. These lists are as complete as available information allowed. I have taken most of the information from the files of Cleveland’s German and English-language newspapers at the Cleveland Public Library and the Western Reserve Historical Society. Along with acquainting the reader with little-known play­ wrights and plays of German origin, this study also attempts to provide an insight into the German-Americans of Cleveland. The city has been a lively scene for German drama, for it was in the forefront in 19th century America in providing German ensembles and, on occasion, still provides German plays of distinction in translation. CHAPTER I THE AUDIENCE - THE GERMAN