Markus Bauer

Johann and Inge Wiesheu have inherited an old villa by a lake. For financial reasons, the young family doesn’t have a choice apart from turning it into a guest house, which over time becomes an inadvertent life’s work, forcing its inhabitants into servitude and constant heteronomy. But Johann has an iron will, not even breakable by his wife’s growing resentment. So, the years pass, the children grow up, the love dies. At some point, Cora, the daughter, becomes a drug addict and Johann commits adultery. Inge escapes into cynicism and depression, and Martin, the son, seeks his fortune in the big city. None of them manage to escape the family.

“don’t lose your heart to things johnny leave it with the people” is the subtitle. This remarkable new author writes about how hard it is to follow such a simple rule. Flashbacks and flashforwards paint the intricate picture of a sad, yet powerful, family history that mirrors the contorted rooms and corners of the lake house. Martin Bauer poetically dives deeply into the reasons for this stagnation and manages to uncover the touching tragedy in daily life’s details. He sensitively and humorously examines the adamant human misbelief that the really important matters of life can always be solved the next day.

This play received a special mention by the jury of the Jugendtheaterpreis Baden-Württemberg in 2008.