'It is Germany where he truly lives': Nazi claims on Shakespearean drama

The fact that the Nazis tried to claim Shakespeare as a Germanic playwright has been well documented but recently theatre historians have claimed that their “success” was rather limited. Instead commentators have asserted that plays such as Othello, Antony and Cleopatra and The Merchant of Venice offended National Socialist precepts and were sidelined. This article attempts a re-evaluation and shows that the effect of the Nazi claims on Shakespeare was substantial, the amount of critical writing supporting these demands was significant, and the official efforts which went into putting these demands into practice were considerable. Crucially, it is also argued that the Nazis established a particular reading of Shakespeare which lasted well into the 1960s and dominated the aesthetic of West German productions of his drama

William Gladstone and the theatre

<p>This article discusses the various links between 19th century British Prime Minister William Gladstone and the theatre, his understanding of its function in society and his role in shaping the argument for a subsidised National Theatre. It links Gladstone to wider debates in theatre historiography calling for a reassessment of orthodox approaches to Victorian culture.</p> <p>Gladstone, ‘colossus of the Victorian Age’, serious, respectable and deeply religious, seems an unlikely advocate for the theatre in general and publicly subsidised theatre in particular, and research so far has largely overlooked this issue. Yet Gladstone was not only an avid theatre- goer with a broad taste but he also had clear ideas about the theatre’s function in society. Despite finding himself in opposition to widespread beliefs that the state should not ‘meddle with the arts’ and that theatres should remain commercial concerns, he actively supported the theatre’s cause by lobbying for official honours, state subsidies and the establishment of a National Theatre. In doing so Gladstone was well ahead of the debate about state aid to the performing arts, crucially influenced decisions well after his death and proved vital for the eventual foundation of a National Theatre after World War II.</p&gt

Seriously Funny

Programme note for Pitlochry Festival Theatre's production of Arthur Wing Pinero's Victorian comedy "The Trelawny of the Wells" (performed in 2011 as part of Pitlochry's 60th Anniversary Season)

Affluence and Poverty in Old Age: New Evidence from the European Community Household Panel

The relative income positions and welfare of elderly persons in the EU are analysed using data from the European Community Household Panel. The elderly invariably receive lower average incomes than the non-elderly, but there are large variations across countries. Pensions represent the main source of income of the elderly, with labour and capital incomes contributing only marginally to total income. High replacement rates for old age pensions are not sufficient to guarantee protection against poverty in old age, as they fail to provide adequate support to vulnerable groups e.g., individuals with incomplete employment histories, or lone pensioners. A much stronger association exists between welfare or satisfaction in old age and income inequality than between welfare or satisfaction and the generosity of old age pensions. It is thus the inequality reduction potential of old age pensions, rather than their generosity, that appears to be the key element in determining the ability of a pension scheme to deliver an adequate standard of living to the elderly. Pension reforms that intend to separate the income redistribution and income insurance functions of old age pensions are likely to strengthen intra-generational income redistribution, and diversify the sources from which the elderly obtain their incomes. The multi-pillar scheme is thus likely to eliminate poverty in old age more effectively than current income financing.income distribution ; international comparisons ; pensions ; poverty