Kafka's Trial” in Lübeck: Captivating production delights audience!

Kafka's Trial” in Lübeck: Captivating production delights audience!

Franz Kafka's “Process” is currently being staged with great dedication in the Lübeck Theater's Kammerspiele and the audience is thrilled. There was a breathtaking premiere on November 8, 2025, which impressively shows how relevant Kafka's work is even in modern times. Director Anne Bader takes the audience into a world characterized by arbitrariness and powerlessness.https://www.ln-online.de/kultur/regional/theater-luebeck-so-war-die-premiere-von-kafkas-verfahren-der-kammerspiele-UVH2KC4VUFHKRDOWIB3AVMDNJE.html?outputType=valid_amp

On stage, a large white wall punctuated by a vertical, stepped cleavage creates a mesmerizing backdrop. A black and white video is also shown that projects the first lines of the novel and immediately leaves an urgent impression. The production follows the tragic story of Joseph K., a bank employee who is arrested on his 30th birthday without any explanation - a central aspect that symbolizes the confusion and threat inherent in Kafka's content.

A gripping performance

Will Workman shines as Joseph K. and impressively embodies his powerlessness and desperate struggle for answers. Next to him, a well-positioned ensemble with Antonia Sophie Schirmeister, Susanne Höhne, Lilly Gropper, Andreas Hutzel and Vincenz Türpe creates an impressive range of bizarre characters. Schirmeister in particular shows a remarkable talent in portraying various roles in the judicial system, while Höhne embodies the lawyer with a wicked touch.https://www.ln-online.de/kultur/regional/theater-luebeck-so-war-die-premiere-von-kafkas-verfahren-der-kammerspiele-UVH2KC4VUFHKRDOWIB3AVMDNJE.html?outputType=valid_amp

Costume and set design by Luisa Wandschneider support the dark atmosphere. The staircase-like construction not only acts as a projection surface, but also reinforces the opaque and shadowy feeling of this production. At the end, the viewer is confronted with the shocking fact that Joseph K. will be executed, and with him the audience is drawn into the 90 minutes of his fate. After the performance, the audience can breathe a sigh of relief and wake up from this nightmare.

Kafka's timeless relevance

Franz Kafka's influence on modern literature is undeniable. It becomes clear that his themes such as alienation, identity and the conflict between the individual and society continue to be present in contemporary works. Kafka's surrealist narrative style often revolves around the absurdity of life - an aspect that shapes not only literature, but also modern psychology.https://readtm.com/the-meaning-of-franz-kafka-in-der-modernen-literatur/

In particular, the way Kafka lets his characters fight against social norms has a deep influence on writers today. The invitation to critically examine identity and social structures is an important element of his works. Kafka's work encourages readers to question the meaning of existence and often reflects complex psychological themes that continue to be important to many of us.https://readtm.com/the-meaning-of-franz-kafka-in-der-modernen-literatur/

In another part of Germany, more precisely in the Cologne Theater, another production of Kafka's “Trial” celebrated its premiere on November 30, 2023. This production offers a unique mix of different formats and concepts that allow the audience to delve deeper into Kafka's world and his language. It remains exciting to see how such different approaches will further enliven and interpret Kafka's popular work.https://franz-kafka.org/der-process-im-koelner-schauspiel/