Abstract
This article analyses Clemens Bechtel’s theatre productions Meine Akte und ich (My File and I, 2013) and Staats-Sicherheiten (State Securities, 2008). Both productions explore the so-called Stasi files, in which the GDR’s secret police service had gathered information on the lives of its fellow citizens. Instead of using professionally trained actors, Bechtel put some of the citizens who had been directly affected by the surveillance documented in the files on stage. These ‘real people performers’ presented to the audience their personal narratives, experiences, and perspectives of Germany’s recent past. The article analyses how this approach to narrating the past in theatre performances provides a platform for a fresh public engagement with diverse memories of the GDR. (UG; in German)
This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.