Der blinde Passagier

In the organizer's words:

1938: A Danish packet boat is moored off the German coast, ready to depart for home. On board are Captain Petersen, his children Carl and Nina and helmsman Jörgen, Nina's fiancé. Early that morning, Carl pulled a man out of the cold water and saved his life. The stranger's name is Fritz Hartmann and, as a Jewish doctor, he is being persecuted by the National Socialists. He needs help and hopes to find a way across the border. Without hesitation, Carl hides him below deck. But the stowaway on board the small ship does not remain undiscovered for long and the hiding place, which had just been safe, becomes increasingly dangerous. Even though Carl and Nina want to help the man in distress across the German border, Jörgen in particular doesn't want to take any risks. The situation divides the four-man crew and forces them into a moral ordeal, the outcome of which may decide between life and death.

"The Stowaway" is one of three plays from the recently published estate of Austrian writer Maria Lazar. Written in exile in Denmark in 1938/1939, at a time when Lazar herself was persecuted because of her Jewish origins, the author asks with great precision and poignancy about humanity and social responsibility in the face of fascist (in)legal systems. After all, do values endure even when they threaten one's own well-being? And how much are you really prepared to risk for a stranger? A dense and poetic drama about civil courage and cohesion that is shockingly topical.