Without Meiningen, no Hollywood

Admittedly, the statement WITHOUT MEININGEN NO HOLLYWOOD is a little exaggerated, but in fact, Duke Georg II of Saxe-Meiningen reformed the way theatre was made here in Meiningen at the end of the 19th century.
The ‘Meiningen Principles’ were born and the Meiningen theatre company delighted audiences throughout Europe on its numerous tours. They quickly imitated the Duke's way of staging theatre, in which for the first time the director, as the main person responsible, combined the literary, acoustic and visual aspects into a total work of art.

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Das heutige Staatstheater Meiningen ©Kusksung Han

At the Meiningen guest performance in Russia, they were seen by Konstantin Stanislavski, who then founded his own ensemble, the Moscow Artists' Theatre. This group took many of its cues from the Meiningen court theatre (which would later also inspire Sergei Eisenstein). Stanislavski also went on tour, including to the USA at the beginning of the 20th century, where Lee Strassberg saw the troupe, who would later become famous for his ‘method acting’ ... without the ‘Meininger’, the film world and the prominence of directors as we know them today would be inconceivable.

On 2 April 2026, the city of Meiningen will celebrate the 200th birthday of its theatre duke - in fact, the entire 2025/26 season of the Meiningen State Theatre, which is still of great importance in the theatre world today, will be dedicated to the duke. Like so many things in Meiningen, the ‘George Year’ is supported by the entire Meiningen town society - from the town council to the local cultural institutions and tradespeople.
The prologue to the Georgjahr 2026 will begin at the opening of the Meiningen State Theatre season in September 2025/26 with productions and projects on Meiningen's theatre history.
The entire programme as well as products and publications for the Georgjahr 2026 can be found here from spring 2025. 
meiningen.de/georgjahr-2026