"The Subject Speaks"

Play by Ines Burdow based on motifs by Heinrich Mann

My duty, no, my destiny is to be a little button. A button on the great trousers of the fatherland. Diederich Heßling in The Subject speaks. Ines Burdow extracts the main character, the opportunist Diederich Heßling, from Heinrich Mann's novel The Subject and lets him speak for himself – with himself, the emperor, God, and the world. He recalls his journey: From a tranquil small town, he makes his way to the nearby capital, Berlin. There, he learns in the fraternity what matters: bowing, kicking, loyalty to the emperor, and the military – he would like to go there too, but his foot hurts so much... Back in S., he first takes over his father's button factory and then, through slander, flattery, and blackmail, he takes control of the entire city. Heinrich Mann's Subject is set in the Wilhelminian era, but the path and characterization of Diederich Heßling have lost none of their relevance today: subservience to authority, lack of civil courage, fear of the plight of the needy, misogyny, homophobia, efficiency thinking, and economic opportunism are also phenomena of the present. A type of person who still walks the earth, constantly seeking the opinions of the powerful, looking for the next step on the career ladder. Diederich Heßling is an entrepreneur who wants to become a politician and make his own laws to gain even more profit. A homage to Heinrich Mann's work and a critical yet humorous engagement with the mechanisms of power and the human weaknesses that are also present in today's society. Black humor as a strategy of resistance. Laughter as sustenance and against one-dimensional thinking. No, Heinrich Mann is not my mother; I was already here before, just under another name...

Diederich Heßling in The Subject speaks. Ines Burdow is an actress, director, and author. She has performed at various theaters such as the Mecklenburg State Theatre Schwerin, Volksbühne Berlin, Berliner Ensemble, among others. Since 2018, she has been part of the management team of the Anderen Welt Bühne in Strausberg. For her work, she has received numerous awards and scholarships. Visitors to our theater know her from various staged readings, most recently Sweetheart, it is stormy every day! about Lionel Feininger. Anna Tenti has directed at the Stadttheater Fürth, Schauspiel Dortmund, and Schauspiel Köln. How much subject still resides in us? Thomas Berger, MOZ