Empty Hell: Subverting Germany's Cultural Narrative of Memory
Two pals, Alexander Cocotas and Fabio Thieme, are straight-up fed up with the Holocaust memorabilia on stage. With extensive resumes in their respective fields – Cocotas as a sharp-tongued Jewish writer who's been making waves online, and Thieme as an up-and-coming Berlin film and theater director – they've spent the last half-decade fashioning a wild ride of a play: two swindlers embarking on a road trip through Poland, tackling the clichés and profiteering in memorial culture head-on.
On March 22, their work titled "Die Hölle ist Leer" (roughly translating to "Hell is empty") will make its way onto the stage at HfS Ernst Busch Theatre. We had a chat with them about their take on postwar German identity, and how they've blended comedy and criticism in this heavy topic.
What's your take on your play fitting into Berlin's theatrical scene?
FT: It was crucial for us to debut this in Berlin and contemporary Germany since the play is so deeply rooted in this nation's identity. Over the years we've been working on it, disturbing events keep popping up that we could never have anticipated, such as the rise of the far-right. This becomes a much more pressing issue now, particularly with the recent election.
We wanted to use comedy as a weapon, turning people's expectations upside-down.
AC: We were also tackling the vibe we've seen on Berlin's stages in recent years, and yearned to express ourselves in a way that felt more authentic to us. We didn't want to lecture anyone; instead, we wanted to craft the play using comedy as a subversive tool to challenge people's perspectives.
How did you combine your efforts?
AC: Our writing truly began in the spring of 2024 when Fabio figured out the opening scene, which saw the character of Stahl delivering a monologue inside of a trunk before stepping onto the stage. From that moment on, the script took shape.
Over the next couple of months, we exchanged drafts, identifying with different characters and writing scenes that seemed to center on one character or the other. By the summertime, we had a draft that we read with friends of ours at my apartment. We got valuable feedback, but it was also a process of learning what works and what doesn't on the stage.
FT: Our initial attempt at writing together in a bar in Neukölln didn't pan out well. Instead, we worked separately, sending each other our scenes and taking turns refining each other's humor until we had a solid draft. The trunk ended up becoming a central symbol within the play, and mirrors became an unexpected common thread as well. Overall, the play revolves around the themes of identity, reflected in both trunks and mirrors.
Die Hölle ist Leer, Mar 22 - 25, HfS Ernst Busch, Zinnowitzer Str. 11, Mitte, in German with written English translation provided. Don't miss out!
- FT: We believe that "Die Hölle ist Leer" fits perfectly into Berlin's theatrical scene because it delves deeply into the city's identity, a topic that becomes increasingly relevant with the rise of far-right movements and recent elections.
- AC: Our unique approach to the play emerged from combining our strengths – Fabio's outstanding direction and my writing prowess in social media and entertainment spheres – to create a captivating piece that uses comedy as a subversive tool tocriticize and challenge perspectives, much like movies and TV shows do.
