Foto: Willy Irngartinger

Bühne Frei! theatre performance: Der Selbstmörder

The new play by the theatre group Bühne Frei!

“I don’t think much of that play about the suicides. It’s empty and even shameful. Nevertheless, I have no objection to allowing the theatre to give it a try…” – Joseph Stalin (shortly before banning the play)

Corruption, shortages, increasing censorship – it is the late 1920s in Russia, and right in the thick of it is Semyon.

Semyon is unemployed, listless and, above all, hungry. So he sneaks into the kitchen at night for a slice of liver sausage, but his wife Masha mistakes it for a revolver and fears he might harm himself. The rumour quickly spreads through the building and soon reaches far and wide. And suddenly, all sorts of people turn up at Semyon’s door: priests, butchers, intellectuals, artists and neighbours taking bets, all with the aim of using Semyon’s death to their own advantage and for their own ends. And somehow there’s also a bass tuba, a banquet, sweets and a revolver.

What is worth dying for? For love, religion, the intelligentsia, or something else entirely? Semyon cannot make up his mind, yet the prospect of dying a hero’s death fascinates him more and more. He relishes the attention and significance accorded to him, yet finds himself drawn ever deeper into conflict…

No booking required – free seating! Admission is free.

 

 

 

“The Suicide” is Nikolai R. Erdmann’s second play and a satirical comedy that addresses the social ills of late 1920s Russia. Shortly after its completion, the play was banned by the Soviet censors and was not permitted to be performed in public. Erdmann was arrested in the early 1930s and exiled for several years before returning to work as a writer for state-run theatre and film productions. He was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1951 for his screenwriting. “The Suicide” did not have its world premiere until 1969 in Gothenburg. Erdmann died a year later in Moscow.

Content warning: Please note that the play “The Suicide” deals with the following themes: suicide and suicidal thoughts.

If you are struggling with this issue, you can find help here, for example:

https://www.telefonseelsorge.de/ or by telephone on 08001110111.

 

 

  • Directed by: Dominik Stepien, Daria Kariakina, Kamea Seelandt, Lotta Nayeri, Leonard Püschel

  • Production: Robin Wischner, Jan Theodor Ostendorf, Louisa Uhl, Mairi Stauch, Philipp Kubisch
  • Costumes: Robin Wischner, Louisa Uhl, Ylva Dietrich, Cara Enders
  • Set design: Ylva Dietrich
  • Music: Dominik Stepien, Leonard Püschel, Nicolas Schmidt
  • Make-up/Hair: Claire Woggon, Kamea Seelandt, Louisa Uhl, Nora Uhl, Gesa Schmitz
  • Awareness: Lotte Gutberlet, Willy Irngartinger, Viviane Krüger, Maria Scheel

 

Cast:

  • Semjon
    • Robin Wischner (Acts 1 & 2)
    • Nico Schmidt (Act 3),
    • Jan Theodor Ostendorf (Acts 4 & 5)
  • Maria – Ylva Dietrich
  • Serafima – Johanna Meyer
  • Aristarch & Benedikt – Simon Koster & Maria Scheel
  • Alexander – Philipp Kubisch
  • Margarita – Claire Woggon
  • Yegorushka – Willy Irngartinger
  • Viktor – Mairi Stauch
  • Cleopatra – Viviane Krüger
  • Father Elpidius – Marie Westphal
  • Pugachev – Dominik Stepien
  • Raissa – Louisa Uhl
  • Deaf Boy – Romeo Reichenstein
  • Oleg – Gesa Schmitz
  • Sinka – Lotta Nayeri
  • Stepan – Cara Enders
  • Madame Sophie – Kamea Seelandt
  • Grunya – Janset
  • Chorus – Leonel Toruño
  • Introduction – Daria Kariakina

The outdoor area is accessible. Please contact us in advance (kultur@stw.berlin) so that we can open the accessible rear entrance and lift.

Date

16 April 2026 (Thu)

Time

07:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Category

  • Bühne & Musik
  • Kultur
  • vor Ort

Participation Fee

free of charge

Host

Kulturwerk Berlin

Location

FREIRAUM im Studentenhaus
Hardenbergstraße 35
10623 Berlin

Arrival:

Underground railway: U9 (Zoologischer Garten), U2 (Ernst-Reuter-Platz)
Suburban railway: S3, S5, S7 and S9 (Zoologischer Garten)
Bus: 245 and M45 (Steinplatz)

Barrier-free access:

Barrier-free access via the lift is only possible when accompanied by a member of our staff and via the rear entrance.
Please contact us in advance by email at kultur@stw.berlin.
Barrier-free toilets are available.
The stage in the Freiraum is fully accessible.

Please note: Access may occasionally not be barrier-free if the lift is out of order.

Language

Veranstaltungssprache: Deutsch