The Broken Jug

Scene from »The Broken Jug«: Marthe Rull (Katharina Ley) is suspended in mid-leap in the middle of the orange room. Holding a broken jug in her hand, with her mouth open, she hovers in the air. She is wearing the same costume as Eve (Nele Christoph). Walter (Hendrik Richter), Ruprecht (Aaron Finn Schultz) and Veit (Marco Albrecht) sit around her, cowering away from her. Eve sits on the right-hand side of the picture, looking impassively into the camera. Photo: Susanne Reichardt. — Hendrik Richter, Katharina Ley, Marco Albrecht, Nele Christoph; Photo: Susanne Reichardt

Scene from »The Broken Jug«: Ruprecht (Aaron Finn Schultz), Veit (Marco Albrecht), Licht (André Kuntze), Adam (Steffen Gangloff), Walter (Hendrik Richter), Eve (Nele Christoph) and Marthe (Katharina Ley) are all crammed onto an orange bed. They are looking ahead with annoyed expressions. Inflatable animals, books, a record and dented tin jugs are scattered across the floor. Photo: Susanne Reichardt. — Aaron Finn Schultz, Marco Albrecht, André Kuntze, Steffen Gangloff, Hendrik Richter, Nele Christoph, Katharina Ley; Photo: Susanne Reichardt

Scene from »The Broken Jug«: In the lower half of the picture, there are two orange rooms side by side. In the room on the right, Ruprecht (Aaron Finn Schultz) is standing on the bed with his arms raised. Veit (Aaron Finn Schultz), Walter (Hendrik Richter), Marthe (Katharina Ley), Licht (André Kuntze) and Adam (Steffen Gangloff) have followed him from the room on the left. In the left-hand room, Eve lies on the floor looking directly into a camera, placed on the floor next to her. A close-up of — Aaron Finn Schultz, Marco Albrecht, André Kuntze, Steffen Gangloff, Hendrik Richter, Nele Christoph, Katharina Ley; Photo: Susanne Reichardt

Scene from »The Broken Jug«: Adam (Steffen Gangloff) holds the monster's head in his right hand and touches his own chest with his left. He is wearing a light blue shirt, with an animal skin draped around his shoulders. There is a bloody wound on his face. Photo: Susanne Reichardt. — Steffen Gangloff; Photo: Susanne Reichardt

Scene from »The Broken Jug«: The stage is divided into three rooms. Brigitte (Elisabeth Auer) is standing in the middle room, holding the head of a black-furred monster with horns and scattered teeth. Veit (Marco Albrecht), Walter (Hendrik Richter) and Ruprecht (Aaron Finn Schultz) are in the room on the left and Adam (Steffen Gangloff), Licht (André Kuntze) and Marthe (Katharina Ley) are in the room on the right. Everyone is listening to Brigitte's report. She is wearing a costume similar to th — Marco Albrecht, Hendrik Richter, Aaron Finn Schultz, Elisabeth Auer, Steffen Gangloff, André Kuntze, Katharina Ley; Photo: Susanne Reichardt

Scene from »The Broken Jug«: A four-piece all-female band performs a song against a black backdrop. Josie Stickdorn plays a light blue electric guitar; Jules Nagele sings and plays the red keyboard; Lisa Wilhelm sings and plays the drums; and Katharina Gross plays the bass. They are all wearing the same costume as Eve. Photo: Susanne Reichardt. — Josie Stickdorn, Jules Nagele, Lisa Wilhelm, Katharina Gross. Photo: Susanne Reichardt

by Heinrich von Kleist

Theatre
Marguerre-Saal

[recommended for ages 15 and up]

Marthe Rull is suing. Last night, her daughter Eve was attacked in her room and her clay jug was broken. Ruprecht, Eve’s fiancé, is found in her room but insists that someone else has destroyed the jug. Eve suddenly finds herself the object of violent insults and is suspected of having cheated on her fiancé just before he is drafted. The town judge Adam is charged with solving the case and is under strict surveillance from the government inspector Walter who arrived for a surprise visit. In fact, Adam himself is the perpetrator who followed Eve into her room to extort sexual favours from her based on false pretences ...

For director duo Katharina Schmidt and Roman Konieczny it’s their first performance at Theater und Orchester Heidelberg. They address the relevance of Kleist’s comedy, which premiered in 1808, in the context of #MeToo.

Content notes

The Broken Jug

Theatre

19:30 → 21:50 h

Marguerre-Saal

Only a few tickets left

by Heinrich von Kleist
[recommended for ages 15 and up]

Introduction 18:45 h
One interval

The Broken Jug

Theatre

19:00 → 21:20 h

Marguerre-Saal

last performance this season!

Only a few tickets left

by Heinrich von Kleist
[recommended for ages 15 and up]

Introduction 18:15 h
One interval

Direction

Katharina Schmidt Roman Konieczny

Stage and Costumes

Wolf Gutjahr

Music

Pär Hagström

Video

Franziska Junge

Live Camera

Elisa Svensson Paul Liedvogel

Lighting Design

Ralf Kabrhel

Live sound

Lorenzo Westermann Tobias Schirmann Emanuel John

Dramaturgy

Maria Schneider

Music Theatre Education

Lisa Zollner

Walter, Gerichtsrat

Hendrik Richter

Adam, Dorfrichter

Steffen Gangloff

Licht, Schreiber

André Kuntze

Frau Marthe Rull

Katharina Ley

Eve, ihre Tochter

Nele Christoph

Veit Tümpel, ein Bauer

Marco Albrecht

Ruprecht, sein Sohn

Aaron Finn Schultz

Frau Brigitte

Elisabeth Auer

Band

Electronic organ, vocals

Julia »Jules« Nagele Seyda Sibel

Electric guitar, vocals

Josie Stickdorn Vanessa Jung

Electric bass, vocals

Katharina Gross Henriette Thorun

Drums, vocals

Lisa Wilhelm Enya Specht

Assistant Director

Corinna Reichle

Stage Manager

Joris Freisinger

Soufflage

Sarah Kreß

Rehearsal cover

Henner John

Assistant Stage Design

Chantal Navina Mathes

Costume Assistant

Hannah Schäfer, Clara Akemi Wilkening

Costume Hospitanz

Lisa Wende

Assistant Dramaturgy

Orina Vogt

The production of the decorative parts is carried out in the workshops of the Theater und Orchester Heidelberg.

A complete list of all employees of the technical departments involved can be found here.

Listen to an introduction by Maria Schneider here (in German).

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Trailer by Siegersbusch

»Frauenpower ohne Ende« und »volle theatrale Breitseite […] gegen das Unrecht«, schreibt Heribert Vogt in der Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung (20. Oktober 2025). Das Regieduo Katharina Schmidt und Roman Konieczny unternehme mit seinem »beklemmenden« wie »quirligen und bunten« Abend viel, um Eve als »komplexes Zentrum des Stücks«, als »gefühlsreiche wie lebenspralle Jugendliche« zu zeigen und »aus der Opferrolle herauszuführen«: hier mache sie dem Täter praktisch selbst den Prozess, unterstützt von einer »wunderbaren Frauen-Liveband«. Bei der Premiere gab es dafür »Jubelapplaus«, nach Handy-Messung des Kritikers mit 101 Dezibel.

»Wirkung und Botschaft verfehlt diese sehr sehens- und hörenswerte Inszenierung nicht«, so Martin Vögeles Fazit im Mannheimer Morgen (21. Oktober 2025). Die Heidelberger Fassung rücke »den Fokus deutlich in Richtung Eves«, von Nele Christoph mit »durchdringend klarer, kraftvoller Sensibilität« gezeichnet; Steffen Gangloff als ihr Antipode reüssiere mit »vierschrötiger Ruchlosigkeit und jovialem, männerbündischem Charisma«, das Ensemble zeige im »kompetenten Spiel Lautheit mit differenzierten Zwischentönen«. »Kein geringes Ereignis« sei auch die »hochkarätig besetzte« Band als »integraler Bestandteil« des Abends.

Das Regieteam habe einen »einsteigertauglichen ›Krug‹« inszeniert, der »Kleists Dramaturgie auskostet«, schreibt René Zipperlen in der Badischen Zeitung (27. Oktober 2025). Dem Kritiker gefällt der »tolle[n] 60er-Soul-Pop und wilde[n] Punk der starken Frauenband«; der »tölpelhafte Dorfrichter« dürfe zwar »schwitzen und schreien wie Louis de Funès«, es gebe aber auch »subtile Momente langer Stille und großer Spannung zwischen Opfer und Täter«.

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The Broken Jug

by Heinrich von Kleist

Wed 4.3. #

Wed 4.3. #

Sun 22.3. #

Sun 22.3. #

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