The Stowaway

Winter 1938: A Danish packet boat is anchored in a German port. As Carl, the captain’s son, rescues a man from the icy water, he has no idea what consequences this decision will have. The rescued man turns out to be a Jewish doctor fleeing the Nazis and is secretly hidden in the cargo hold. But in such close quarters, secrets cannot remain hidden for long. Carl’s sister Nina, her fiancé Jörgen, their mother, and eventually Captain Petersen all discover the stranger. The question of what to do with the homeless man becomes a moral dilemma.

Maria Lazar’s play, written in exile in 1938/39, tells a poetic and suspenseful story of individual and collective responsibility. It shows how quickly fundamental values like humanity and civil courage can falter in extreme situations. The production, directed by Fanny Brunner, addresses a topic of devastating relevance.

Starring Reinhardt Winter as Captain Petersen, Sophia Fischbacher as Nina, Fabian Cabak as Carl, Christiane Warnecke as the mother, Wolfgang Kandler as Jörgen, and Lucas Riedle as the stranger Hartmann.