Theatrical research in the footsteps of those affected by Nazi eugenics crimes in Thuringia

Cooperation between stellwerk junges theatre, Lernort Weimar e.V., the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Kunstfest Weimar as part of the ‘eloquent silence’ project

A cloak of silence long hung over the extent of the National Socialist eugenics crimes and even today, few people are aware of the details of this chapter in German history: For years, hundreds of thousands of sick, maladjusted, mentally or physically impaired people were systematically forcibly sterilised or murdered – facilitated and carried out in hospitals, sanatoriums and nursing homes, health authorities and homes.

The victims of this mass crime were denied recognition as victims of Nazi persecution for decades, which is why those affected are also regarded as ‘forgotten Nazi victims’.

We want to remember! Together with an ensemble of young adults, the theatre collective projekt-il will research the lives of victims of this forced sterilisation and Nazi ‘euthanasia’ and name the crime scenes and perpetrators in order to show the relevance of these partly forgotten stories in the present and make them visible on stage. Biographical material from those affected and a graphic novel by artist Anke Zapf provide the basis for this. With impressive image projections that are drawn live, the young people respectfully approach this important topic in a documentary collage on the stellwerk stage.

The project is funded by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) and the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) as part of the educational agenda on Nazi injustice.

All information on the overall project, the research and other events can be found here: https://www.beredtes-schweigen.de