The Children of Marx and Coca Cola - The Theater of Revolt 1963-76

Overview

The Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the revolts in Paris and Prague are creating new political awareness, leading to demonstrations and also to artistic provocations. Performance groups such as "Living Theater" and "Bread and Puppet" from New York open up new spaces and playgrounds for the theater - including the street. In Paris, Ariane Mnouchkine and her “Théâtre du Soleil” magnificently put the revolution on stage with “1793” and later on the screen. This is also the beginning of a renewal of the popular political theater, which is particularly evident in Dario Fo's theater. In Germany, the theater in Bremen becomes a source of renewal: the directors Peter Zadek, Peter Stein and Klaus Michael Grüber make classics like Goethe and Schiller contemporary. Peter Weiss proclaims "No revolution without general copulation" in his "Marat / Sade" play, which is a worldwide success on stage and in Peter Brooks film adaptation. With the foundation of the Schaubühne in Berlin by Peter Stein, the “revolteurs” then took over the power in the theater.

Episode Information

Guest Stars

Dario Fo

Self

Ariane Mnouchkine

Self (archive footage)

Judith Malina

Self

Julian Beck

Self

Peter Weiss

Self (archive footage)

Peter Zadek

Self (archive footage)