Gerhard Diezmann and his wife Hanna Diezmann founded the first municipal puppet theater in the German Democratic Republic in 1951, the Städtische Puppenbühne Chemnitz, which was renamed Städtische Puppenbühne Karl-Marx-Stadt when the city changed its name in 1953. Both co-authored adaptations of fairy tales for puppets (Grimms Märchen auf der Puppenbühne. Leipzig: Hofmeister, 1954), as well as a collection of practical tips for the production of shadow shows (Licht und Schatten: Anregungen für Schattenspiel mit d. Polylux. Zentralhaus für Kulturarbeit der DDR, 1977).