6. Before Meeting Wangenheim
Lessons of the 'Troupe 1931' Theater Ensemble
The original author of these essays was Ingeborg Franke von Wangenheim.
It was early January 1931, when people were preparing for the annual commemoration of the 1919 murders of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. About twelve of us wanted to represent Theater Workers and plan a brief performance for the celebrations in Berlin, so we met together to discuss a variety show where we would perform some songs and readings or recitations. This kind of show was easy for us to do — easy to plan and rehearse. Also, it wouldn’t cost us a penny.
We decided that we wanted to focus our attention on the most troubled sectors of independent workers. We also knew our goal was to change the minds of our audience, basically to raise people’s political consciousness. We wanted to draw large numbers of people into the spirit and intellect of the current revolutionary thinking; first to make conscious and conscientious change within their own minds and, then, to bring change into the thinking and actions of our political leaders….