Translations for the stage are problematic, because they have to satisfy the demands of theatrical performability and speakability. Mary Snell Hornby's approach to understanding texts for the theatre in a holistic and hermeneutic framework and the consideration of speech criteria have been adopted here. The identified criteria for stage texts are "spoken stage language", multiperspectivity (word play, irony, metaphor), rhythm, speakability and audience perception. This paper discusses multiperspectivity (word play), rhythm, and holistic features in short segments of Georg Buchner's play Woyzeck. These segments are compared with three English translations of Woyzeck in terms of these criteria. The translations chosen are the most recent ones. The criteria of stage language and the holistic focus seem to be a meaningful tool to determine whether the translator has met the demands for stage effectiveness of the author’s original play.