4. First Exercise: The Art of Research
Lessons of the 'Troupe 1931' Theater Ensemble
The original author of these essays was Ingeborg Franke von Wangenheim.
To begin the work, Wangenheim suggested we split our collective into sub-committees. Each of these would do in-depth socio-political research into the issues affecting us all — both as working actors and, like our audiences, as working people, generally. So, we set up these “public issue” research committees, each working independently. Each group read and studied and wrote reports on their own particular topics. We were free to “write-up” these reports as social information and political commentary, while mining the material for potential dramaturgical use; for the theater.
We became activists. We formed five sub-groups, becoming quite serious, diving into our political and economic studies, subconsciously searching for some understanding of the causes behind our own dire situation. One group examined issues of “War and Peace;” another explored policies affecting “The Child;” there was one group studying the “Jewish Question,” another for “Women’s Issues” and, separately, one studying issues surrounding “Paragraph 218,” our German statute restricting women’s reproductive rights….