The People vs. Fritz Bauer Tickets

The People vs. Fritz Bauer is a 2015 film that tells the story of Fritz Bauer, a Jewish prosecutor in 1950s Germany who dedicated his career to bringing Nazi war criminals to justice. The film tackles some of the darkest parts of German history, including the Holocaust and the complicity of many Germans in it. While a film cannot fully capture the depth of pain and trauma caused by these events, it can bring them to light and allow us to reflect on them as a society.

Theater has a unique ability to do this as well. Theater can take us on a journey through the past, allowing us to experience history in a way that feels immediate and real. This is especially powerful when it comes to stories like Fritz Bauer's, which are often overlooked or forgotten. Watching actors bring these characters to life on stage can inspire empathy and understanding, and perhaps even encourage action towards justice.

But theater does not exist in a vacuum. Like the film version of The People vs. Fritz Bauer, it is influenced by political and social forces. In the case of German theater, this has been particularly true since World War II. As Germany worked to confront its history after the atrocities committed during the Nazi regime, theater became an important tool for exploring and coming to terms with this past.

One example of this is the play The Investigation written by Peter Weiss. The play was based on the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials (1963-65), and used actual testimony from witnesses to create a dramatization of the trial. It was performed in over fifty countries, making it a landmark work of political theater. Another example is Volkstheater München’s 2016 production of Germinal, which explored the relationship between the coal industry and climate change, connecting capitalist exploitation to the exploitation of workers under National Socialism.

The People vs. Fritz Bauer is a powerful addition to this tradition. It shows how theater can explore history in a way that resonates with contemporary audiences. It challenges us to think about what justice means in the context of war crimes and genocide, and it forces us to reckon with the truth of our collective past. As such, The People vs. Fritz Bauer should be celebrated not only as a film but also as a call to action for theater-makers around the world.