Historical dramas on Viennese stages 1918-1938

For meeting the aim to provide relevant material for further research of historical dramas on Viennese stages in Austria`s First Republic the analysis concentrated on position, representation and "staging" of Austria`s prominent historical personalities. The research therefore was directed to specific and comprehensive material and sources. The first 18 months were dedicated to the examination of programs and play-bills of all Viennese theatres which were subsidized by the government in the time between November 1918 and March 1938 (for the definition of the so called "förderungswürdige Bühnen" see application). The main issues of the research were the following data: the dates of opening and closing nights, the number of performances, the ensemble (actors and actresses), the directing team (author, director, dramatic producer, scenic designer, dress designer etc.). These informations were incorporated in the existing databank (M-box) of the Institute of Theatre, Film and Media of the University of Vienna. This databank provides the possibility to search according to various categories: either starting with the production itself or to summarize and categorize bibliographically - in spite of the heterogenity of the material, and this as well in combination with a specific production as independently. The written material is complemented by illustrations (mainly photographic representations of scenes and roles). In the following months the work was concentrated on newspaper articles and reviews of selected newspapers. They were examined and registered not only in their relevance to specific productions but also with regard to thematic connections as f.e. the Prinz-Eugen-Exhibition of 1935. In the last year of the project the collected data were prepared for the representation on a CD-Rom with the collaboration of a computer specialist. All the information in this way provided is supposed to serve as a source of inquiry for the media as well as for teachers to get impulses and references on further literature. Placed in front of the databank is a summary of the results obtained during the research. It shows the conditions and effects of the historical drama in Austria between the two wars. This virtual place of documentation is meant to be a starting point for future research on this and related topics. They might be concerned about the here discussed period and matters but also extend them from this point into the past and up to the present. Considering the Interreg - project "Geschichte des österreichisch-tschechischen Theaters im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert am Beispiel der Grenzregionen (Brünn, Znaim u.a.) mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der wechselseitigen Rezeption von österreichischer und tschechischer Dramatik in der Gegenwart" which also was carried out by the Institute of Theatre, Film and Media it is an aim for the near future to establish an internet portal for the investigation of Austria`s theater - history during the First Republic. This would be a substantial improvement of the infrastructure and facilitate future research.