Prinz Friedrich von Homburg

A person is only truly human when he dreams. After three days on horseback and a series of military defeats, the Prince of Homburg dreams at night in the garden of immortal glory and true love. And the dream seems far from over when, the next morning in battle, he disobeys an order, sounds the charge too soon, and secures the decisive victory. Yet instead of being celebrated as a hero, he is sentenced to death for insubordination. The Elector insists on judging strictly according to the law, which must apply equally to all—even to dreamy princes. Pressured from many sides, however, he holds out the prospect of overturning the verdict should the prince appeal it. Military obedience compels an act of violence that is, after all, self-evident and indispensable for a society based on rules: The condemned man faces himself as his own judge and, in this role, cannot help but endorse the verdict. Once the prince has brought himself to take this step and accepted his death—he is pardoned.

He will have to live with this inner conflict. He will never again be a whole, dreaming human being. But he will be an obedient soldier. Ulrich Rasche, a native of Bochum, has made an international name for himself with productions characterized by great visual conciseness, high musicality, and an extreme focus on linguistic clarity. He opens his new tenure as artistic director with Kleist’s play about the human cost of internal militarization and the totality of war.