The Trial - Franz Kafka / 14+ / Premiere

THE TRIAL
Franz Kafka
Adapted by Bettina Rehm and Cornelius Edlefsen

On his thirtieth birthday, Josef K., senior clerk at a major bank, is arrested. He is neither told what crime he is accused of nor taken into custody. K. is to continue his work and live his life as before. Information that might explain this seemingly absurd situation is withheld from him. Searching for answers, Josef K. is drawn ever deeper into the labyrinth of an incomprehensible bureaucracy that acts arbitrarily and follows its own inexplicable rules. Soon the unknown judicial system dominates his entire life. In the end comes the death of Josef K., without a verdict being passed or guilt proven. Franz Kafka's unfinished novel (1883-1924) is a surreal nightmare, a crime story, and a linguistically rich work of art that resists any single interpretation and proves urgently relevant in every era. In a time when justice and legal systems worldwide are faltering, being manipulated, when law and justice increasingly become a matter of interpretation by those in power, Kafka's novel is more timely than ever.

For everyone aged 14 and above who wishes to engage with questions of law and justice and develop a critical perspective on our present world.