Performance “Werewolf Commandos” in the Landungsbrücken Frankfurt
Je more words like, especially the pauses, the silence. And so the moments when nobody speaks in the powerfully eloquent performance “Werewolf Commandos” in the Frankfurt Landungsbrücken play a special role. There are moments that improve what is said, let it resonate – which, given the subject matter of the play, can only be welcomed. Right-wing extremist violence and its legal processing are the focus of these 100 haunting minutes, using the example of the court cases surrounding the murder of the Kassel district president Walter Luebcke and the trial of the Bundeswehr soldier Franco A.
For more than a year, director Marie Schwesinger and her team, Julia Just and Fabiola Eidloth, accompanied the trials at the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court, spoke to journalists, lawyers, observers and those affected and spent most of the trial days in the courtroom themselves. Now four actors quote from interrogations and witness statements, let process observers and actors have their say. Sometimes photos and videos that were presented in court as evidence are described down to the smallest detail, sometimes different scenarios at the crime scene are discussed. Although the actors sometimes change roles every minute, first holding the position of the accused, then speaking as a lawyer or witness, this is never confusing. Nicolai Gonther, Florian Mania, Anabel Möbius and Rosanna Ruo don’t need much more than their voices to let the actors have their say.
language and self-portrayal
It becomes clear how extensive the research must have been. Since the team in the trial of Lübcke’s murder did not have permission to take notes, this first part also builds on memories and is more fragmentary than the part that revolves around the trial Franco A takes into account. Nevertheless, the result is an impressive and haunting reconstruction of the cases that were negotiated, which goes beyond what happened in court. It’s not just about language, but also about self-portrayal through words. The theater can do what the court is forbidden to do by definition: be political. And so there are always questions that didn’t find a place there because they weren’t negotiated: “How do you plan a terrorist attack – alone?” Most viewers will be familiar with the basic facts, knowledge of the outcome of the negotiations is not necessary. The staging describes the facts from the position of an observer, but not only reports, but also comments and questions. It is also the open questions that have a particularly lasting effect in this intensive performance. Perhaps that’s why the show and discussion on October 22nd was so popular – it’s currently sold out.
Werewolf Commandos Landungsbrücken Frankfurt, next performances on October 23rd. November 3rd and 4th, 8 p.m. each day.