The wild stage

Alan Lareau's The Wild State: Literary Cabarets of the Weimar Republic reconstructs the artistic programs, repertoires, and reception of three famous Kleinkunst stages during the Weimar Republic: Max Reinhardt's Schall und Rauch (1919), Trude Hesterberg's Wilde Buhne (1921), and Werner Finck's Die Katakombe (1929). The Wild Stage explores the wide range of artistic experimentation in these literary locales, from Dadaist puppet plays to improvisational dance, political songs, nonsense poetry, and modern music. Using a wealth of unknown documents, including rediscovered manuscripts, program booklets, professional journals, press clippings, and rare sheet music editions, Lareau captures the brilliance and frustration of these young authors, musicians, and performers struggling to realize their artistic ideals while satisfying the commercial interests of the cabaret managers.