Ruth Johanna Benrath

Get out of the big city! Mother 1 and Mother 2 have had enough of city life in Corona times. So they pack their children Max and Mia plus dog Muppi into the SUV and speed through the idyllic forest with them. The parents have rented a weekend house there. In the middle of the green forest with its high tops and its deep bottoms. Countless times sung about and poetized. Finally some fresh air! But you can also get lost in the forest, there is something hidden that we don't know, the uncanny, the deep abysses that draw us into something that no one has ever seen. What begins as a relaxing weekend trip soon turns into a clash of cultures. Because the forest dwellers are not at all enthusiastic about the brazen newcomers. The wild boar, the deer, the fawn, the mushroom, the fern, the wolf come up with a daring plan to drive away these two-legged troublemakers! Without further ado, poor Muppi is kidnapped. Suddenly it's up to Max and Mia to save their dog.

In her poetic children's play, Ruth Johanna Benrath is concerned with the definition of the respective "other", with projections and fears in encounters with strangers. This is played out in a parable, but at the same time very concrete, based on a family that has rented a cottage in the country without thinking about the living space they are invading. Through the question of whether someone has the right to rule over others, the play becomes a political drama that celebrates the power of the powerless, the tiny and the cleverest in the midst of a dystopian age.

The jury of the Kaas & Kappes Author Prize writes about im wald (da sind):
"Through rhythmically concise language, interlocking, often overlapping but very precisely choreographed dialogues and choral passages, a fast-paced game is created that lends itself to musical implementation and opens up a multitude of staging possibilities with the large cast. A game that never loses sight of its dedicated mission despite all the pleasure in wordplay and comedy."