It's court day in the village of Huisum and Judge Adam stumbles out of bed first thing in the morning and all over himself. At least that's what he claims. Because as much as this Adam's case is true as a metaphor, this is actually just the first of a multitude of lies that the judge latantly tells will give itself.

The real reason for his damaged foot and bruised face is the result of an abuse he committed the night before: harassing young Eve in her room, Adam is surprised by her fiancé Ruprecht and injures himself while escaping through the window. On top of that, a jug breaks in two.

With this, Eve's mother Marthe now goes to court and accuses Ruprecht of the nighttime attack. He objects violently, while Eve is blackmailed by Adam and remains silent. All of this in the presence of Schreiber Licht, who is smarter and more knowledgeable than he shows, and under the eyes of the new judicial councilor Walter, who has come to examine and revise the judiciary.

Judge Adam opens the trial in public, although his goal is obvious: to convict Ruprecht as the perpetrator and quickly close the case.

What makes Kleist's drama from 1811 a comedy is, above all, the audacity with which the patriarchy exercises power, secures positions and cements relationships.

The truth doesn't matter in the slightest. Instead, it is important to blatantly and unscrupulously shirk all responsibility - supported by a society that, proudly standing in front of its cultural heritage, plays along hypocritically and deceives itself into believing that justice is of interest.

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Participating artists

Heinrich von Kleist (Autor/in)

Anne Lenk

Lorena Handschin (Walter, Gerichtsrätin)

Ulrich Matthes (Adam, Dorfrichter)

Jeremy Mockridge (Licht, Schreiber)

Franziska Machens (Frau Marthe Rull)

Lisa Hrdina (Eve Rull, ihre Tochter)

Tamer Tahan (Ruprecht Tümpel)

Julia Windischbauer (Frau Brigitte)

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