Leben des Galilei

In the organizer's words:

by Bertolt Brecht
with music by Hanns Eisler
in an adaptation by Michael Schneider

After years of teaching the Ptolemaic world view with the earth as the center of the universe despite his own doubts, scientist Galileo Galilei sees something completely different with his own eyes through a telescope: the earth and other celestial bodies revolve around the sun. This enabled him to prove the heliocentric view of the world, which Nicolaus Copernicus had already described in 1543. But did Galileo really want to do this publicly? After all, his observations had the potential to challenge the power of the Church - which is why it suppressed the dissemination of Copernican teachings under threat of the death penalty.

In 1939, while in exile in Denmark, Bertolt Brecht began work on the epic play, which he continued to work on as world events rapidly changed. Brecht uses the historical figure of Galileo, whose discoveries continue to resonate to this day, to act out the dilemma of modern science: Between idealism and compromise, a conflict of shattering topicality unfolds, focusing on the question of responsibility and scientific ethics as well as the trade-off between one's own well-being and social responsibility.

The music by Hanns Eisler was arranged for the production by Michael Schneid

PREMIERE on Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 20:00
in der Tonne ➀ in the Theaterbau (Jahnstr. 6)

Price information:

Box Office/Premiere 22,- € regular 16,- € reduced *; advance booking: 20,- € regular 14,- € reduced *; group from 10: (advance booking only) € 16 regular; € 11.50 reduced *; club members € 11 (with ID); students € 10 (under 30, with ID, also in advance booking); pupils € 7 (also in advance booking); Peter Pan ticket € 1 (for all those who cannot otherwise afford theater, no proof, also in advance booking); Robin Hood ticket € 25 (for all those who want to give more, also in advance booking)