Attack on actors at the Bochum Schauspielhaus

“How far can one go to protect democracy from destruction?” asked the Schauspielhaus Bochum before the premiere of the play “Catarina or On the Beauty of Killing Fascists” by Tiago Rodrigues, which was directed by Mateja Koležnik. At the premiere last weekend, two audience members decided the question: You can definitely go on stage.

During the final monologue of the character Romeu (played by Ole Lagerpusch), a right-wing populist politician, two men climbed onto the stage and tried to drag the actor down from there. Which in turn could be stopped by Lagerpusch’s colleagues.

Previously, several media outlets reported, there had already been expressions of displeasure from the audience during the monologue. Martin Krumbholz, critic for the theater portal “Nachtkritik”, reports about a woman who chanted “Stop”. Apparently an orange also flew towards the actor. The dramaturg ultimately had to calm the angry audience.

In the future there will be audience discussions after the performance

The audience was obviously excited by the content of the monologue. Romeu (mind you: the character) says AfD-like things, rails against homosexuals and says things like: “I have to tell the truth. That’s why let me ask you openly: If the minorities constantly complain about our country, why do they stay here?”

The content of the play by the Portuguese director and playwright Rodrigues (who has also directed the theater festival in Avignon since 2022) is provocative but quite original: At a family gathering in memory of the Portuguese Catarina Eufémia, who was actually shot by fascists on May 19, 1954, a fascist is now supposed to be shot every year after dinner. That’s what the crude family tradition wants, that’s what the law of revenge wants. But Romeu, the fascist, gets away this time – and begins the final monologue.

“Catarina or On the Beauty of Killing Fascists” was shown by the author at the Vienna Festival in 2021, at that time in Portuguese; it was also shown in France, apparently with increased use of security forces. The production in Bochum is the German-language premiere. No one had expected such a tumult there.

In a statement, the theater said: “The fact that an actor had to experience physical attacks while carrying out his artistic work shocked us deeply; we consider this assault to be completely unacceptable.” We see ourselves as a “place for artistic discussion”, but also as a “protected space.” In the future, there will be audience discussions after the performances.