In mid-January, the advanced German classes from the 12th grade traveled to Stuttgart with Ms. Zilles and Ms. Schenk-Pogan to see the play *Heimsuchung* at the Altes Stadttheater. Since Jenny Erpenbeck’s novel of the same name is part of the Abitur curriculum and the final exams are just around the corner, this field trip offered a perfect opportunity to review the material covered in class.
“Heimsuchung” is a novel with many time jumps and shifting characters, so it was fascinating to see how the four actors managed to bring this complex structure to life on stage. Through the interplay of acting, sound design, and video projections, the work was brought to life in a vivid and impressive way. Particularly impressive was the actors’ versatility, as they switched between different roles multiple times throughout the play. We left at 9 a.m., as the performance began at 11 a.m. The play lasted about 90 minutes and was performed in a small but very atmospheric theater, almost like the former “factory” at the Schloss-Schule. Afterward, around 12:30 p.m., there would have been an opportunity to speak with the director and the actors. Unfortunately, we couldn’t participate because we had to be back in Kirchberg on time. After the performance, we took a group photo outside and then boarded the bus for the return trip. In the following class, we shared our impressions and compared the theater production with the novel we had read. Overall, it was a very successful and worthwhile theater trip that gave us a whole new perspective on the work.
