What is kaleidoscopism? About a few plays by Roland Schimmelpfennig

In the modern German theatre and theatre science one clearly discerns a shift of epochs and corresponding concepts. One of those representatives, Roland Schimmelpfennig (b. 1967), received last year the most prestigious award a German playwright could win, Else Lasker-Schüler Prize. It is being awarded not for a single play but for the contribution to dramatic art as a whole. During the last fifteen years Schimmelpfennig has written ca. thirty plays, which are now staged all over the world. The following article contains an analysis of five Schimmelpfennig’s plays: «Vorher/Nachher» (2001), «Für eine bessere Welt» (2003), «Auf der Greifswalderstrasse» (2005), «Goldene Drache» (2007) and «Wenn, dann: was wir tun, wie und warum» (2010).