The tragic drama of an oppressed person from society’s lower classes: Wozzeck, a hardworking but penniless soldier, is increasingly losing control of his life and his mind. He is seized by increasingly violent psychotic episodes, until in a delusion, he stabs and kills his girlfriend Marie.

Wozzeck’s surroundings bear some of the blame for this: because he has a relationship out of wedlock and an illegitimate child, he is humiliated by his superior, abused by a doctor for medical experiments, and finally cheated on by Marie with the higher-ranking drum major. All this triggers the spiral of his delusions. A real-life, early 19th-century criminal case, which for the first time in legal history raised the issue of an absence of criminal responsibility due to mental illness, inspired Georg Büchner to write his play. Left behind as a fragment in 1837 when Büchner, a revolutionary-minded writer, died prematurely, it was not staged until 1913. Alban Berg found the subject of his atonal opera, the first ever of its kind, when he saw a performance of the play. He succeeded in creating a stirring, expressionistic score, which is precisely constructed on the one hand and on the other, unleashes an elementary force. Since its premiere at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in 1925, Wozzeck has been considered a milestone of modernity. Andrea Breth’s gripping production – a razor-sharp experiment to study the mechanics of evil, can now be seen for the first time on Unter den Linden.

approx. 1:40 hrs without an interval

Artists/Collaborators: Alban Berg (Komponist/in), dem Dramafragment „Woyzeck“ von Georg Büchner (Autor/in)

Runtime: Sun, 14/12/2025 to Sun, 04/01/2026

Act IFive Character Pieces

Scene 1Wozzeck is giving the Captain a shave. In the meantime, the Captain engages Wozzeck in a conversation about time an eternity, virtues and morality, an reproaches him for having had a child out of wedlock. Wozzeck explains that existential adversity and virtue are incompatible.

Scene 2Wozzeck is working with Andres. While Andres sings a hunting song, Wozzeck suffers from apocalyptic visions.

Scene 3Marie looks admiringly at the Drum Major. Her neighbour Margret taunts her by masking lascivious comments. Marie sings her child a lullaby. Just then, Wozzeck arrives. Disturbed, he tells Marie of his visions. His state of mind frightens Marie.

Scene 4In order to make some extra money, Wozzeck offers himself to the doctor as an experimental subject for medical experiments. The doctor considers Wozzeck’s psychological constitution merely to be an interesting side effect of his experiments in nutrition.

Scene 5After some initial hesitation, Marie gives in to the Drum Major’s wishes.

Act IISymphony in Five Movements

Scene 1Marie gazes at the earrings that the Drum Major has given her, and feels disturbed by her child. When Wozzeck suddenly appears, she responds to his distrust with excuses. Wozzeck hands over his pay to Marie. Marie feels guilty.

Scene 2The doctor and the Captain meet on the street. They insinuate to Wozzeck, who is rushing past, that Marie is being unfaithful to him. Distraught, Wozzeck runs off.

Scene 3Wozzeck searches for Marie. Provocatively, Marie dodges Wozzeck’s questions about the Dum Major. She responds coldly to Wozzeck’s threats. Wozzeck is out of his depth.

Scene 4In a bar, Wozzeck watches as Marie dances closely with the Drum Major. A drunken journeyman holds a sermon on human existence. A fool foresees a coming act violence.

Scene 5In the barracks, Wozzeck cannot fall asleep. The drunken Drum Major humiliates Wozzeck by bragging about his conquest of Marie and beating him up.

Act IIIFive Inventions

Scene 1Marie, plagued by her bad conscience, reads the story of the adulteress Maria Magdalena in the Bible. When her child awakes, she tells him a bitter tale. She then prays, pleading for forgiveness.

Scene 2Wozzeck is with Marie in a remote place, and the two recall the time spent together. Suddenly, Wozzeck stabs Marie, killing her.

Scene 3Wozzeck has gone to a bar. He dances with Margret. Margret discovers blood on him; Wozzeck flees.

Scene 4Wozzeck looks for the knife in order to hide it, but to no avail. The Doctor and the Captain pass by.

Scene 5

Marie’s and Wozzeck’s child learns of this mother’s death. He continues playing with his hobbyhorse.

Age recommendation: as of 16 years

Alternative events

Die Kuh Rosmarie - Staatstheater Cottbus

Opera

Musiktheater von Claudia Federspieler für alle ab 5 Jahren nach dem Bilderbuch „Die Kuh Rosalinde“ von Frauke Nahrgang und Winfried Opgenoorth aus dem Schweizerdeutschen von Juliane Schwerdtner, dramatisiert von Andri Beyeler, in einer Libretto-Fassung... moreabout: Die Kuh Rosmarie - Staatstheater Cottbus

Next date:: Die Kuh Rosmarie
Date:: Monday, 15/December/2025 11:00
Venue:: Kammerbühne Cottbus - Kammerbühne
Address:: Wernerstraße 60, 03046 Cottbus
Price:: from €18.50

Order online

Madama Butterfly – u. a. Elena Guseva als Cio-Cio-San Bettina Stöß

Madame Butterfly

Opera

With this opera, Puccini created what is arguably his most powerful stage work. Tragic is not only the illusion of great love to which 15-year-old Cio-Cio San succumbs, but also her fundamental sense of loneliness: rejected by the Japanese because she... moreabout: Madame Butterfly

Next date:: Madama Butterfly
Date:: Monday, 15/December/2025 19:30 (2 more dates)
Venue:: Deutsche Oper Berlin
Address:: Bismarckstraße 35, 10627 Berlin-Charlottenburg
Price:: from €29.90

Order online

Kein schöner Land in dieser Zeit - Staatstheater Cottbus

Opera

KEIN SCHÖNER LAND IN DIESER ZEIT Ein liederliches Mysterienspiel von Dominik Wilgenbus Angesichts der Nachrichten aus Welt und Politik könnte man verzweifeln, man könnte sich ärgern oder wütend werden. Man kann daraus aber auch Theater machen.... moreabout: Kein schöner Land in dieser Zeit - Staatstheater Cottbus