The Helsinki Festival brings Schaubühne Berlin to the Main Stage of the Finnish National Theatre! The historic Schaubühne is one of the most renowned and respected theaters in the German-speaking world, and Falk Richter’s The Silence is among its most acclaimed productions of recent years.
The Silence was selected for the Berliner Theatertreffen, the showcase of the best German-language theater, and its brilliant solo performer, Dimitrij Schaad, was crowned Actor of the Year by Theater Heute magazine.
Richter (b. 1969), one of the most significant voices in contemporary German theater, plays with self-irony and personal experience in this revealing dive into the silenced history of a German family. Richter's father passed away before reconciliation was possible, and now the author turns to his mother to break decades of silence.
The performance unpacks layered traumas: the father's war experiences, the mother's flight from West Prussia, and the bourgeois narrow-mindedness of post-war West Germany. Richter reflects on how the family’s past and the violence experienced by his parents transformed into opposition and suppression of his own queer identity. But how reliable is Richter’s own memory? And how credible is his mother’s narrative? As memories begin to conflict, space opens up for hope, as well as for new questions and interpretations.
Performances on Main Stage on Aug 21 and 22, 2026.
Language: German, with subtitles in Finnish and English.
Post-show discussion with Falk Richter and Dimitrij Schaad on Saturday, August 22, following the performance. The discussion will be held in English
Written and Directed by Falk Richter Set and Costume Design Katrin Hoffmann Music Daniel Freitag Video Lion Bischof Dramaturgy Nils Haarmann & Jens Hillje Lighting Design Carsten Sander On stage Dimitrij Schaad
A new German-language version for the Schaubühne. The first version of the performance premiered at TNS Strasbourg as a co-production with MC93 Bobigny and the Maison de la Culture d’Amiens.
In co-operation with: Finnish Institute in Germany
Freight costs supported by: Finnlines