For Käthe Kollwitz and her sister Lisbeth (1870–1963), later married to Georg Stern (1867–1934), the theater had been a constant presence since childhood. In Königsberg, they loved to perform classical dramas and plays they had written themselves using paper theater puppets. Their children – the two Kollwitz sons (Hans, 1892–1970, and Peter, 1896–1914) and the four Stern daughters (Regula, 1894–1980, Johanna, 1896–1988, Katharina, 1897–1984, and Maria, 1907–1993) – also enjoyed performing plays together, sometimes involving members of the older generation in private family performances.
However, they also enjoyed attending public performances, including productions that are now considered historically significant. Konrad Schmidt (1863–1932), the artist’s brother, was a theater critic and frequently received premier tickets, often inviting his sisters’ families. Here, we reconstruct some of the visual impressions that Käthe Kollwitz gathered during her many documented theater visits.
exhibited works:
brief introduction to the authors:
plays in brief:
The Concert
In the comedy “Das Konzert” (The Concert), the famous, adored pianist Gustav Heink uses alleged concert tours as a pretext to start affairs with schoolgirls in a mountain hut. His wife Marie, who usually tolerates this, travels after the adulterers with the husband of his current lover (Delfine), which leads to the couple rediscovering their relationship.
The Principle
Former pastor Friedrich Esch preaches the principle of free development and self-determination for all people. When Esch’s own children put his principles into practice, with his son becoming engaged to the old cook and his daughter eloping with the gardener, the pastor learns just how absurd his dogmatism can be.
The Dead Day
In “Der tote Tag” (The Dead Day), Ernst Barlach tells a dark parable about isolation, guilt and human powerlessness. On a seemingly “dead day” a man realizes that his life is marked by indifference and missed opportunities. His inner emptiness is reflected in encounters with strangers until he is forced to accept the bitter truth about responsibility and mortality – a poetic, quiet drama between dream and reality.
The Real Sedemunds
The fate of the Sedemund family unfolds in a small town in Lower Germany. A rumor about an escaped lion stirs up fears and reveals hidden conflicts. In the conflict between father and son, guilt, sin, and family entanglements come to light—especially in the shadow of the mother’s suicide. Barlach paints a multifaceted picture of human responsibility, identity, and the search for authenticity in human existence.
The Sin Flood
In “Die Sündflut” (The Sin Flood), Ernst Barlach depicts the life of a community threatened by a devastating flood. As the water rises, relationships break down, old conflicts resurface, and people search for someone to blame. Some cling to possessions and power, others to compassion and hope. In the end, it is decided who will be saved – and who will perish.
Danton’s Death
Georg Büchner’s “Danton’s Death” takes place during the French Revolution. The once celebrated revolutionary leader Georges Danton comes into conflict with Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety. Mistrust, intrigue, and political power struggles lead to his arrest. Despite a passionate defense, Danton and his comrades are brought to trial, convicted, and ultimately executed—a sequence of events that reveals the full extent of revolutionary terror.
Florian Geyer
Gerhart Hauptmann’s “Florian Geyer” is set during the German Peasants’ War. The Franconian knight Florian Geyer sides with the rebellious peasants and leads the “Black Troop” against princes and nobility. While the movement initially gathers strength, it eventually falls apart due to internal tensions, violence, and betrayal. The uprisings are crushed, Geyer falls victim to an assassination, and the Peasants’ War ends in bloody defeat.
Everyman
The play is a modern mystery play about the death of a rich, selfish man. The wealthy Everyman leads a wicked life and is unexpectedly summoned by the Death to appear before God’s court. In his final hour, his lovers, friends, and relatives abandon him, and he realizes that all material possessions are fleeting. At the last minute, he finds faith, repents his sins, and is saved by God’s grace.
The Robbers
In “Die Räuber” (The Robbers), Karl turns his back on his father, outraged by his stricness, and becomes the leader of a band of robbers to fight against social injustice. His brother Franz plots to steal the inheritance and manipulates their father and others. Betrayal, violence, and love entangle the characters until Karl’s idealism and Franz’s selfishness culminate in a decisive confrontation that reveals guilt, remorse, and the destructive power of human passion.
Hamlet
Prince Hamlet learns from the ghost of his deceased father that his uncle Claudius murdered him in order to take the throne. Hamlet vacillates between revenge and doubt, feigns madness, observes intrigues at court, and tests loyalties. In a web of deception, duels, and retribution, mistrust and lust for power lead to betrayal, death, and destruction, ultimately shattering the royal family.
Transfiguration
“Die Wandlung” (Transfiguration) tells the story of Friedrich, a war volunteer who goes into World War I full of idealism. At the front, he is confronted with death and senselessness. Wounded, he returns home, becomes a political activist, and participates in revolutionary plans. But here, too, he experiences violence, betrayal, and failure. In the end, Friedrich realizes that true change is not possible through coercion, but through an inner moral transformation of the individual.
Masses and Men
A young revolutionary returns from war to find a society that has fallen into indifference and violence. Desperate, he searches for meaning and moral guidance, while the people around him become part of a manipulable, emotionally cold mass. Driven by outrage and powerlessness, he fights for responsibility, humanity, and rebellion—but the masses seem stronger than the individual.