The Physicists

"A story is thought through to its conclusion when it has taken its worst possible turn," wrote Dürrenmatt. This is precisely what the brilliant physicist Möbius is trying to prevent. He has devised a "system of all possible inventions" and senses the damage that could be done if his findings fall into the wrong hands. The only logical conclusion from his point of view: he turns his back on his career and science by pretending to have lost his mind. What Möbius does not foresee is that secret agents from two enemy states have caught on to his plan and want to get their hands on him and his discoveries. And that is by no means the biggest problem ...

With his black comedy, Friedrich Dürrenmatt wrote a classic of German-language drama in 1961 that remains hugely popular with theaters and audiences to this day. This is probably because the questions it raises have only become more pressing in recent decades: How do power, freedom, and responsibility relate to one another? Who owns knowledge? Who controls its use? Who is responsible for the consequences? And who can even foresee the consequences?

Dürrenmatt also wrote: "The content of physics concerns physicists, but its impact concerns all people. Only all people can solve what concerns all people." With this in mind, director Martin Kindervater's team on the INSEL stage rephrases the questions and challenges the young audience with this fast-paced comedy to try to find the solution under the conditions of their own present—because the younger generations are the ones who can no longer afford to postpone the answers.

School performances can be booked for this production.
For more information, visit schulen@staatstheater.karlsruhe.de.