Stage dispute in Zwickau: Gender ban ensures heated debates!

Stage dispute in Zwickau: Gender ban ensures heated debates!

A flaming plea for the freedom of art is currently the director of the Plauen-Zwickau, Dirk Löschner. In the middle of a stirring bereau of gender that was introduced at the urging of the Supervisory Board, he emphasizes the importance of artistic expression and debate. The prohibition that urban employees and own companies prohibited the gender by underlining, gender star and colon was primarily initiated by the AfD and found support from free voters, CDU and FDP. Despite this restriction, the theater remains true to the handling of its line: The gender double point is used in the new game time, as Freepresse.de reports.

Löschner, who has been the general director of the theater since August 2022, has already clearly commented on the ban on gender. He sees it as an attempt to end a social debate and denies that the theater is under pressure to bow to the guidelines. It is particularly interesting that the theater has been in its publications since 2019 and that this has hardly been noticed. Löschner explains that there are no violent internal discussions about gender in the theater; On the contrary: the artistic ensembles are quite positive about the topic.

The reaction to the gender ban

The debuting staging "Cutting Katerina" this Saturday throws a critical light on gender roles and is also seen in this context in response to the current ban. The artists have apparently not only perceived the previous freedom to gender as a routine, but an important opportunity for thematic discussion. "Precisely because it is not extended on the stage, we saw in the format 'Theater Sports' chances to bring in humorous gender discussions," said Löschner. The three open-air performances in Plauen find special mention, where despite 3000 spectators there was no interest in the gender debate, which gives the impression that the audience has other topics in mind.

"The freedom of art is a high asset," emphasizes Löschner, while at the same time recognizing that the theater is not yet directly affected by the decision, since instructions from the mayors are required. Due to its financial bonds, these could open or close the door for the theater. But Löschner remains optimistic and does not see the theater as a moral institution, but as a place that wants to initiate socially relevant debates.

cultural and social context

In the background there is a broader social debate about gender and language that has been led for around 40 years. Scientists such as Prof. Helmut Weiß and Prof. Eckhard Meineke have critically commented on this development. The latter emphasizes that many terms, such as the masculine gender, were chosen carelessly. The far -reaching changes in grammar through the gender movement are also considered an ideology. Tim Schröder, science journalist, notes that many lecturers shy away from gender in their speech, which shows how split the discussion itself under experts, as at mdr.de

In a time when art and socio-political issues are inseparably interwoven, it remains to be seen how the disputes about the ban on gender will develop and whether the Plauen-Zwickau Theater can continue to offer a platform for open dialogues.