The dissertation deals with the Municipal Theatre of Göteborg with special reference to the period between 1967 and 1971, during which the group theatre developed and paved the way for a repertoire of social criticism. The theatre debate is viewed against the background of the socio-economic, ideo­logical, and cultural development of the 1960,s. After describing conditions at the Municipal Theatre of Göteborg under Mats Johansson's management from 1962 onwards, the study concentrates on analysing three group theatre plays produced by Lennart Hjulström: Flotten (spring 1967) by Kent Andersson, Hemmet (autumn 1967) by Kent Andersson and Bengt Bratt, and Sandlådan (autumn 1968) by Kent Andersson. The first play thematizes the ideological confusion of the middle-aged generation, the second the disappointment of the aged at the betrayal of socialist ideals, and the third the manipulative repression of children's education. A series of stagings with strong elements of social criticism caused a long and intense debate in the summer of 1969 about both the repertoire and the internal conditions of the Municipal Theatre. In spring, 1971, Kent Andersson and Bengt Bratt wrote Tillståndet (an ambiguous title meaning both 'condition' and 'permission'), by which the authors intended to ex­pose the repressive tolerance of bourgeois society. This play functions as an evaluation of both the group theatre period and the situation of the theatre as a whole, and it is therefore analysed in a metaperspective. It also functions as a summary of the criticism of the Swedish welfare state. / digitalisering@umu