Davy            van            Gerven


Jugend ohne Gott

"Jugend ohne Gott" is the third novel by playwright Ödön von Horváth, written shortly before Hitler came to power and published in 1937. Horváth tells the story of a teacher caught in a conflict between the world as it is and as it should be, navigating the radicalization and coldness of his students, their longing and loneliness, and his own moral dilemmas. The present is defined by the power of the strongest, competition, and selection. Those who endure authority, fear, violence, and nihilism survive. The situation intensifies when a student is murdered during a school trip to a military training camp, raising pressing questions of guilt, responsibility, and justice. The teacher, unable to tolerate these questions any longer, is compelled to take action.

In a space dominated by abstract elements for military exercises, such as a carousel of metal pipes and long wooden poles, the story unfolds within a unity of time and space. An unexpected rainstorm and a water hose introduce even more dynamic elements, adding to the tension and atmosphere of the narrative.

Schauspiel Stuttgart 
2018

Director Zino Wey
Costumes Veronica Ute Schneider
Dramaturgy Gwendolyn Melchinger
Lighting Rüdiger Benz
Music Ziggy Has Ardeur
Photography Julian Baumann

Selected projects                   Litanie van een Terugkeer                       The Shell Trial                        Jugend ohne Gott                        Woyzeck                        House of Strength                        Limburgse Horizon                        Fok me Hokje                        Good Game                        Automatenbüfett                        An Archive of Love                        Libi                        Mom:me                        Ein Körper für Jetzt und Heute                        Common Chorale                        Zündels Abgang                        Götterspeise