The Arsonists

Max Frisch’s The Fire Raisers (Biedermann und die Brandstifter) is a sharp parable about societal responsibility and the mechanisms of self-deception. Gottlieb Biedermann allows two strangers into his home despite their obviously dangerous intentions. The guests store barrels of gasoline in the attic—yet Biedermann ignores the warning signs. Out of politeness, fear, or indifference, he becomes a silent accomplice, even providing the matches. The staging by Dora Schneider, with set design and costumes by Ayşe Gülsüm Özel, illustrates how a game of repression and justification unfolds between a respectable façade and a smoldering catastrophe.

Frisch’s play poses the uncomfortable question of why people fail to intervene even when they recognize the danger long before it arises. The boundaries between perpetrators and visitors blur—and suddenly it becomes clear that everyone is already part of the events. The production is aimed at teenagers aged 12 and up as well as adults, combining sharp wit with unsettling relevance. A timeless work about guilt, conformity, and the power of looking away.