The Broken Jug is Canceled at the Kleines Haus Karlsruhe
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When Truth Breaks in Court
The performance of Heinrich von Kleist's The Broken Jug scheduled for Saturday, October 31, 2026, at the Kleines Haus of the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe has been canceled. The production by Brit Bartkowiak combines Kleist's sharp-tongued comedy with a new ending by the award-winning playwright Maria Milisavljević.
Kleist's Courtroom as a Site of Power
At the center is village judge Adam, who is to pass judgment on a broken jug while knowing he himself caused the damage. As the trial begins, the judge becomes entangled in lies, intimidation, and contradictory statements. The comedy of the classic farce repeatedly tilts into suffocating tension.
A Production with a Contemporary Perspective
The dramaturgy not only brings the old criminal case to light but also the patriarchal structures that obscure sexualized violence and impede its clarification. Maria Milisavljević expands Kleist's play with a new epilogue that traces the continuities of male-dominated and misogynistic power relations into the present and opens up a utopian counter-design.
Acting between Farce and Shock
Direction, set design, costumes, lighting, and music shape a courtroom where every movement gains meaning. The cast, featuring Jannek Petri as Judge Adam, Emma Suthe as Eve Rull, and Rebecca Seidel as Court Councillor Walter, navigates the characters through a tension field of grotesque comedy, social indictment, and psychological intensification.
The performance is recommended for ages 14 and lasts approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes without intermission. Content warnings include physical violence, sexism, sexual harassment, sexualized violence, and femicide. Sensory stimuli include fog, loud noises, music, gunshots as blank rounds, and sound effects, as well as objects flying through the air.
Conclusion
The planned stage experience will not take place on October 31, 2026. Anyone wishing to experience Kleist's classic in Karlsruhe's new version should note the other dates of the Badisches Staatstheater and check the current schedule.
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