Collection 07: Erhard Gohl - theatre progammes for the Deutsches Theater, Tatura (No. 3 Internment Camp), 1 May 1944 - 1 May 1946

MLMSS 7217

sub-fonds

1 May 1944 - 1 May 1946

423758

2 boxes - 0.35 Meters
Textual Records - (typescript)

The Deutsches Theater, Tatura, was inaugurated by a group of like-minded Germans in No. 3 Internment Camp to provide entertainment and bring some diversion from being confined as enemy aliens in a concentration camp.
No. 3 Internment Camp was essentially the German and Italian family camp. These families had mostly been interned by the British administration of Palestine, then a British mandate, at the beginning of World War II. Around 530 Germans and 180 Italians in family groups were brought to Australia in 1941 by the British Army and Jewish Auxiliary Police guard. Many of the German families were members of the Temple Society. They were handed over to the Australian Military and placed in No. 3 Internment Camp which always held a small contingent of German and other European Jews.
From 1946, most of these German and Italan internees were offered permanent residency in Australia.
Minna von Barnhelm (Lessing) was the first play staged by the internees. A classical German comedy, it was intended to set the tone for the theatre productions. Staging of The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare) was an interestng choice given the attitude of the German government toward Jews at this time. The programme notes suggest that this play was intended to show broadmindedness!
The Broken Pitcher (Kleist) tried to return to a lighter tone. However, those internees who supported NSDAP (Nazi) ideology expressed a national socialist sentiment in the programme's commentary.
The light hearted comedy, Berger and Son (Schoenzeler), set in pre-World War I Germany and Austria, was written by one of the internees and staged independently of the Deutsches Theater. Its purpose was to divert the internees from the `heaviness' of the classical plays, and to reduce the possibility of national socialistic interpretation. Many internees were being subject to pressure from fellow internees who were adherents of the NSDAP.
The German national socialistic party line became increasingly evident in the interpretation of the plays which were performed. In the last play, Don Carlos (Schiller), performed after the end of World War II, despair of what the future held for the internees following Germany's unconditional surrender, is evident in the programme commentary.
Paul Gottlieb Gohl (father of Erhard) performed in Minna von Barnhelm and Berger and Son. He was also instrumental in the production of Berger and Son. He withdrew his support for the Deutsches Theater because of the national socialistic views which were expressed.
From notes provided by Erhard Gohl, November 2000.

Contents list of plays performed by the Deutsches Theater (German and English) (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/1/1)
Programme for Minna von Barnehelm (German) (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/1/2)
Programme for Minna von Barnhelm; translated into English, with notes and background information, by Erhard Gohl (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/1/3)
Programme for Der Kaufmann von Venedig (German) (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/1/4)
Programme for The Merchant of Venice; translated into English, with notes and background information, by Erhard Gohl (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/1/5)
Programme for Der zerbrochene Krug (German) (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/1/6)
Programme for The broken pitcher; translated into English, with notes and background information, by Erhard Gohl (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/1/7)
Script for Berger und Sohn, with original illustrations (German). Includes biographical information concerning the playwright, Mathias Maria Hubert Scho[e]nzeler; `In memory of Guntram Helmut Gohl (1929-1945)'. (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/1/8)
Programme for Berger und Sohn (German); with precise (English) (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/1/9)
Programme for Berger and Son; translated into English, with notes and background information, by Erhard Gohl (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/1/10)
Programme for Wilhelm Tell (German) (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/2/1)
Programme for William Tell; translated into English, with notes background and information, by Erhard Gohl (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/2/2)
Programme for Die Nibelungen (German) (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/2/3)
Programme for Die Nibelungen; translated into English, with notes and background information, by Erhard Gohl (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/2/4)
Programme for Don Carlos (German) (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/2/5)
Programme for Don Carlos; translated into English, with notes and background information, by Erhard Gohl (Call No.: MLMSS 7217/2/6)

English, German

A brief history of the Temple Society is located at MLMSS 7225.