ABSTRACT
Theatre in the period 1934–38 has conventionally been seen as an uncomplicated propaganda vehicle for the authoritarian regime's separatist 'Austrian' ideology. This chapter explores previously neglected aspects of performance and reception, including highly ambiguous elements of plays previously construed as pro-fascist. It considers the uses of theatre for other political ends, such as foreign policy. The chapter reconnects the discussion about how the state sought to reconstruct an Austrian identity after 1934 with the wider context of the First Republic from 1918. 'Heimat' motifs, settings and figures from Austrian history, and the reflection of Catholic cultural tradition and belief are therefore all salient features, and were each given programmatic emphasis after 1934. The formation of the theatrical repertoire is one of the most indicative aspects of cultural policy in theatre of the period, revealing how the organs of state sought to shape cultural output around a centrally defined ideology.
