Thuringia: 6 special plays in April 2023

Many people probably only know prison, jail, from films and television. As places outside of society populated by brutalized characters. But it’s not that easy, because of course people live here too. The play “Knast” at the Theaterhaus Jena is about their point of view. For this, the ensemble around actor Leon Pfannenmüller worked together with the theater group of the nearby prison and assembled a theater text from conversations. In it, the roles are playfully switched again and again, one’s own work and the system of punishment through imprisonment are questioned. “A lot is said without always having a clever answer ready. Thinking together is the order of the day,” says MDR KULTUR theater critic Wolfgang Schilling happily. “That does something to the audience, in 90 intense minutes with profound, quiet, but also turbulent moments and an emotional ending.”