The Trial - Franz Kafka / 14+

THE TRIAL
Franz Kafka
In a stage adaptation by Bettina Rehm and Cornelius Edlefsen

On the morning of his thirtieth birthday, Josef K., chief clerk at a large bank, is arrested. No crime is named, and he is not taken into custody. K. is expected to carry on with his job and his daily routine as before. Any information that might explain the situation - which at first seems like a bad joke - is withheld from him. Searching for answers, Josef K. is drawn ever deeper into the labyrinth of an opaque bureaucracy that appears to act arbitrarily and follows its own incomprehensible rules. Before long, this unknown justice system takes over his entire life. It ends with Josef K.'s death - no verdict delivered, no guilt proven.

Franz Kafka's unfinished novel (1883-1924) is a surreal nightmare, a thriller, and a linguistically dense work of art that resists any single interpretation and finds new urgency in every era. At a time when justice and legal systems worldwide are faltering, being manipulated, and the meaning of law and justice is increasingly left to those in power to decide, Kafka's novel feels more relevant than ever.

For audiences aged 14 and above who want to engage with questions of law and justice and sharpen their critical view of the present.