MEPHISTO

In the organizer's words:

He is a rising star in the theater sky: the young, brilliant, ambition-driven actor Hendrik Höfgen can enchant his audience. The times are turbulent. At the end of the 1920s, democracy is under pressure. Höfgen presents himself as politically left-liberal and rails against the fascists. Then something happened that hardly anyone had expected: The Nazis seize power - and promise Höfgen fame and fortune. He hesitates for just a tiny moment before betraying his old friends and ideals.

The famous novel tells of the dangerous fascination of evil, of the dawning of totalitarian tyranny. It is about how some remain steadfast in their convictions and pay a high price for this, while others throw themselves at the new rulers for the sake of their own careers. The character Otto Ulrichs, who is tortured to death for his resistance against the Nazis, is based on Hans Otto, who gave his name to Potsdam's municipal theater.