School Theater: The Dark Side of Society

Created: 06/24/2022, 15:15

By: Andreas Sachse

Harald and his garden gnome: the symbol of middle-class suburban idyll dominates the stage design.

© Dieter Michaelek

The COG theater classes have staged two impressive plays against hate and ignorance.

Unterschleißheim – The graduating class of the Carl Orff-Gymnasium (COG) invited classmates and alumni to the theater courtyard for a double appearance against hatred and ignorance.

In two plays, the students of the theater classes of Q11 and Q12 dealt with the dark side of democratic societies and the self-doubts of future adults.

The first production in particular, “Stories Against Hatred”, has already appealed to critics from beyond Unterschleißheim.

An appearance at the theater days of the Bavarian high schools in Aschaffenburg has been booked.

The students had already performed the play at Munich's largest street festival, the "Corso Leopold", at the end of May.

Theater teacher for 20 years: Michael Blum.

© Dieter Michaelek

Maths teacher Michael Blum has been offering school theater at the COG for 20 years.

Under the direction of Blum and his colleague, Stefanie Höcherl, who soon joined them, the theater classes regularly rehearse full-length plays, which the public enthusiastically received.

Set up as an anniversary event shortly before the graduation celebrations, the upper school classes Q11 and Q12 presented the audience in the COG with particularly heavy fare.

In the "Stories Against Hate" inspired by Bastian Berbner's book "180 Grad", the troupe confronts the audience with the ugly side of civilized systems.

Racism, homophobia and anti-Semitism stand out as buzzwords.

In the following piece "What?!

A school event with no leisure or cultural character”, the performers look at themselves.

Reflecting on dreams, goals and self-doubt, the interpretation of Daniel Kehlmann's novel "Ruhm" has autobiographical traits.

It's about identity and departure.

A real drama, as they say: "When I'm on stage while acting,

The constant movement on stage captivates the audience.

© dieter michaelek

Stories of the Ku Klux Klan, homophobic Irish, villagers who groom horses and drive tractors, and Harald's wife who fears Ottomans in the neighborhood tell of hatred.

Harald and his garden gnome.

The symbol of middle-class suburban idyll dominates the stage design.

A couple of chairs.

A piano in the background.

The staging impresses with dance interludes.

Constant movement keeps the audience captivated and equally irritates them through the variety of figures depicted.

But the rather large, rather colorful garden gnome gets stuck in my head.

The incarnation of German philistinism.

A prejudice?

"Conspiracy theorists, racists, anti-Semites," calls an actress from the stage, only to end up with "opponents of Europe, critics of asylum and people's protectors."

The same mishpoke, promoted to the parliaments of the republic.

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More news from Unterschleißheim and the district of Munich can be found here.