Putsch – Anleitung zur Zerstörung einer Demokratie

"Putsch" is fast-paced, satirical, cabaret-style, funny, and incisive

The lines between politics and entertainment are becoming increasingly blurred. A coup d’état no longer requires an old-fashioned military coup. Sometimes all it takes is a comedian with an iron will.

Germany in a few years:
Klara Milkowski is a highly successful cabaret artist who fills the country’s largest venues with stand-up routines that are particularly “politically incorrect.” She sees herself as a fighter against the “woke zeitgeist.” On her primetime satire show on public television, she lashes out against transgender people, “eco-dictatorship,” and asylum policy—until things come to a head and the network fires her.

For many, this not only makes Klara a “martyr for freedom of speech,” but it also piques the interest of Oskar Falk: a multimillionaire, right-wing intellectual, and chairman of the populist party “Unser Haus Deutschland.” It is the second-strongest party in the country, though it has not yet had a chance to form a government.
Falk wants to make Klara his party’s candidate for chancellor—and Klara agrees, much to the dismay of her daughter Melli. The election is coming up, and with Klara as its figurehead, the UHD becomes the strongest party. No sooner have the ministerial posts been filled than political changes are to be implemented by decree. The thick marker pen for the signature lies ready…

COUP—A GUIDE TO DESTROYING A DEMOCRACY is a fast-paced evening of theater that leaves you more alert than when you walked in. With humor, sharp wit, cabaret-style flair, and musical elements, Alistair Beaton and Dietmar Jacobs chart Klara’s path—and guide the audience into a political chaos where only one thing prevails: the theater as a place of possibilities, wit, and insight. Through countless roles, the ensemble creates an impressive panorama of our society, whose work is characterized by a great passion for storytelling and a high level of political awareness.