3. A New Theater Workers’ Union

Lessons of the 'Troupe 1931' Theater Ensemble

The original author of these essays was Ingeborg Franke von Wangenheim.

All to say that our own union fell into subservience, blindly mouthing and enforcing unfair policies of our state-supported industry’s “bigwigs,” while drawing the not-so-subtle anger of thousands of stage- and screen-actors, both those who were unemployed and those who still had jobs. Almost without exception, Germany’s actors were joined in the streets of Berlin, outraged at the continuing lie — “We’re doing all we can for you,” it said — by our state-supported labor organization.

A scene using film projection of real crowds during a 1926 Berlin production of ‘Stormflood.’

Deprived of vital theater work, Germany’s actors participated in the staging of rallies, our own creative demonstrations against the union-busting tactics of our accommodationist union. We took to the streets, fed-up and tired of the ongoing and witless betrayal and opportunistic practices of our leaders — men who, instead of fighting on our behalf, left us feeling neglected, betrayed, and abused.

This was before the rise of the more radical Revolutionary Trade Union Organization (Revolutionär Gewerkschaftsorganisation, RGO)…..