Outside the country, German theater frequently has a reputation for being brash and self-absorbed. It is, however, theater with a much-admired system behind it. Even provincial cities boast artistically interesting venues catering to three areas of the performing arts (theater, opera, ballett), which can mostly be classified as repertory theaters, in other words have several productions in their program simultaneously, and as a rule a permanent ensemble. Overall there is a distinct theater world, a well-established network of state, municipal, traveling, and private theaters. In Germany a lot goes into this system: in terms of stimulus, attention and money. For many this is a luxury, especially as box office takings amount to a mere 10–15 percent of theater expenses. The system has long since passed its zenith and is now in a difficult position because time and again art is measured in terms of the material requirements.

Peter Stein, a unique figure in German theater, is a “world-class” director. As opposed to other dramatists he created an oeuvre that is clearly recognizable by virtue of the continuity of repeated motifs, themes and authors. A theater of memory, with a directing style that takes its cue from the text. There are worlds between the up-and-coming generation of directors and a Peter Stein, Claus Peymann, the Principle of the Berliner Ensemble, and Peter Zadek, who died in 2009. Contemporary stage productions can no longer be portrayed using the vocabulary of the generation that created what is known as director’s theater. Terms such as enlighten, instruct, expose, and intervene sound antiquated. Nor can audiences be really shocked any longer, theatrical provocation mostly comes to nothing and is frequently little more than routine attacks on surviving clichés. The theater of today’s young people no longer sees itself as being avant-garde; it strives for independent forms of expression. In this context the number of premieres of works by contemporary authors has risen considerably with the dawn of the new century. Varying enormously in quality they reveal the entire range of current forms of presentation, traditional theater merging with pantomime, dance, film sequences and music to create ever new blends. Significantly these performances, which are frequently very open and dominated by improvisation are called “dramatic installation” and “scene production”.

Frank Castorf, General Manager of the Freie Volksbühne Berlin, who has texts dismantled and put together again, is one of the role models for this young generation of directors. Christoph Marthaler and Christoph Schlingensief also represent a different interpretation of what theater is about and the search for new opportunities for expression that are appropriate to globalized capitalism and a world dominated by electronic media. Michael Thalheimer is regarded as an expert on difficult subject matter with an eye thast concentrates on the essentials. Armin Petras, Martin Kusej and René Pollesch have created styles of directing that prioritize style over content; traditional narrative methods that stick close to the text are not something they are necessarily familiar with. On the other hand there is repeated criticism, which at the same time demonstrates how lively the world of theater is, despite all its strife.

The theater has the power to survive the likes of Frank Castorf, who take plays apart, and also celebrate meticulous interpretations that bank entirely on the power of the actors’ performance. The diversity, as demonstrated by the annual Berliner Theatertreffen, can be regarded on the one hand as an expression of great helplessness, and on the other as the popular response to questions about social reality that has become too complex. For an alert, interested audience this diversity is a step forward, providing as it does new access to what were regarded as familiar texts; it can unsettle, annoy, entertain and create ever new images of our life.