Bochum, Germany – A performance of Tiago Rodrigues’s play, Catarina, or the Beauty of Killing Fascists, at the Schauspielhaus Bochum descended into chaos this past weekend when audience members physically and verbally attacked an actor during a particularly provocative monologue. The incident, which occurred on , underscores the potent and increasingly fraught relationship between art, political ideology and audience expectation in contemporary Europe.
The play, which premiered in Germany this weekend, centers on a family’s disturbing annual ritual: the kidnapping and execution of a “fascist” as a form of revenge for the 1954 murder of Catarina Eufémia, a Portuguese resistance fighter killed during the Salazar dictatorship. The narrative explores the generational tensions that arise as the family grapples with the justification of their violent acts in the name of defending democracy. The climax of the play features a 15-minute monologue delivered by the actor Ole Lagerpusch, playing a far-right party functionary, outlining a deeply disturbing extremist agenda.
According to Alexander Kruse, a spokesperson for the theatre, the audience’s reaction to Lagerpusch’s monologue quickly escalated. Initially, the response was limited to whistling, heckling, and verbal insults directed at the actor, with calls for him to stop. The situation then turned physical when an orange was thrown at Lagerpusch, narrowly missing him. Kruse stated that the situation further deteriorated when “two spectators mounted the stage, apparently with the intention of dragging [the] actor off the stage, which was prevented.” He characterized the assault as “completely unacceptable.”
Despite the hostile environment, Lagerpusch reportedly continued his performance, ultimately delivering the monologue’s final line – “The future belongs to us” – according to theatre critic Martin Krumbholz of Nachtkritik.de, who was in attendance. Krumbholz noted the incident evoked a sense of theatrical history, recalling scenes from the age of Shakespeare.
The play’s director, Mateja Koležnik, expressed shock and outrage at the attack, describing Lagerpusch as “traumatised” by the experience. Speaking from Ljubljana, Koležnik emphasized that while she anticipated a strong reaction to the provocative monologue, she never expected a physical assault. She lamented the “stupidity” of the audience members who stormed the stage, stating, “I would expect this from the people we are voting against, but not from the people who should be on our side.”
Koležnik explained that Lagerpusch’s effectiveness in portraying the far-right character stemmed from his ability to deliver hateful rhetoric in a softly spoken and even affable manner. She believes the audience’s reaction revealed a disturbing trend: “The next wave of fascism, there will not be monsters. There will be normal, nice people.” Her intention with the production, she added, was not to reinforce existing liberal sentiments but to provoke discomfort and fear.
The incident at the Schauspielhaus Bochum comes amid growing concerns about political extremism in Germany. While the web search results indicate a recent focus on left-wing extremism, with the sentencing of individuals involved in attacks on right-wing extremists in 2023, the events at the theatre highlight the volatile atmosphere surrounding discussions of far-right ideology. The play itself, having won awards in Italy and France, has a history of eliciting strong reactions from audiences.
Following the attack, the theatre implemented increased security measures for subsequent performances. A subsequent performance, following an appeal for calm from the theatre’s deputy director Angela Obst, reportedly proceeded without incident. Spectators expressed their support for the theatre on social media, with one commenter describing the attack as “scary” and criticizing the “disrespectful” behavior of those who stormed the stage. Another commenter condemned the actions as “a fascist attitude towards art and theatre.”
Critic Christoph Ohrem of WDR released an audio recording of the disruption, further illustrating the intensity of the audience’s reaction. Krumbholz, in his review, placed the blame for the uproar on the audience, suggesting that some theatregoers were “too stupid” to distinguish between fiction and reality. The incident raises questions about the boundaries of artistic expression, the responsibility of audiences, and the challenges of confronting difficult political themes in a public forum.
Rodrigues, the playwright, previously stated his intention to provoke discussion with the play, and the events in Bochum certainly achieved that goal. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the power of theatre to ignite passions and the potential for those passions to spill over into real-world conflict.
