Valmiera Theatre stages Brecht's play about fear and manipulation

Valmiera Theatre in Latvia this week held the premiere of "Fear and Misery of the Third Reich", a work by German playwright Bertolt Brecht. The production is directed by Indra Roga. It asks what life is like in a society where neighbours watch one another, a son may betray his own father, and constant fear becomes part of everyday life.

History and the present

The staging is not merely a historical excursion into the 1930s. It is presented as a harsh warning and reminder to people today about manipulation and propaganda, and about how fragile freedom really is.

Valmiera Theatre is a professional theatre in the town of Valmiera, in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. The production draws on the atmosphere of a time when fear and mutual distrust ran through daily life, and directs that theme at a present-day audience, inviting viewers to consider how resilient society is against attempts to influence it.

The source material does not name the cast or give details of further performances.