Björn SC Deigner

The question of injustice and the corresponding reparation runs through Kleist's ‘Michael Kohlhaas’. Published in 1810, this aspect of the text became the driving force behind a wide range of movements that took on the Kohlhaas character: be it the National Socialists, the labour movement or even the student revolts of 1968. Where does justice begin and at what point does it become vigilante justice? Kleist's questions seem more relevant than ever, one only has to think of the social upheavals during the pandemic, which many people experienced as unjust and repeatedly raised the question of whether the state is in the right. Scepticism towards our democracy
Scepticism towards our democracy permeates many sections of the population, and a rift runs through families and homes, not excluding the theatre.


For his new commissioned work, Björn SC Deigner relocates Kleist's text to the theatre itself: during a rehearsal of an amateur theatre group, the harmless discussion of the text version of ‘Kohlhaas’ turns into an irreconcilable debate. The question of where censorship begins, where discourse ends and how people can still engage with each other linguistically when they have different views brings Kleist's question of right and wrong from the stage into the ensemble. (Announcement of the Meiningen State Theatre)