Kerr, Ihering e la critica della recitazione

Starting from the reviews and works by Alfred Kerr and Herbert Ihering, this article means to offer a survey of the history of theatre criticism and acting in Germany, between the late 19th Century and the early 1920s. The focus is on two particular aspects. First, the comparison between the subjective criticism proposed by Kerr and the militant criticism of Ihering. Secondly, the difference between the models of acting that the two critics supported: the realistic model, preferred by Kerr, and the abstract, expressive model defended by Ihering in the early years of the Weimar Republic. Finally, starting from reviews and documents kept in the Akademie der Künste of Berlin, the article retraces the debate between the two critics of the spring and summer of 1921, in order to identify their critical and theatrical perspectives.