This study opposes the widely-held opinion that stage directions in 18th century German dramas are of minor importance.Apart from canonical dramas by Lessing, Lenz, Goethe and Schiller, it also examines lesser known dramatists such as Friederike Caroline Neuber, Christiane Karoline Schlegel and August von Kotzebue, coming to the conclusion that the stage directions are not only of significance for staging purposes but also perform important textual functions when the plays are being read.