Theatre Lindenhof as a contemporary form of German regional Volkstheater

Abstract

This thesis studies Theater Lindenhof, a Volkstheater company in the Schwabisch-Alb, Baden-Wiirttemberg, Germany. Lindenhof performs from its own theatre in the small village of Melchingen and tours in Baden-Wurttemberg and northern Switzerland. It is one of the most successful and widely acclaimed Volkstheater companies and is frequently reported on in the local, regional, and national press. The principal outcome ofthe research is a comprehensive assessment and account of the history, development and work of Theater Lindenhof, based on the use of methodologies across a variety of disciplines. This is the first full-length study of Theater Lindenhof It provides an insight from a non-German perspective into an important cultural phenomenon in Germany. It sets out to illuminate an aspect of German theatre which is unique in that it is firmly rooted in the rich fabric of local culture and in the community which it serves, and at the same time has relevance outside that community and the surrounding region.