Mefisto
Berlin, early 1930s. In a vibrant city full of show, theater, and art, fascism is rearing its head. The ambitious actor Hendrik Höfgen is given the opportunity by the new regime to become theater director here. This presents him with a devilish dilemma: does he choose the fast track to success or remain loyal to his friends?
You see Sander Plukaard as Hendrik Höfgen, together with Soumaya Ahouaoui, Denzel Goudmijn, Hein van der Heijden, Serah Doku Meijboom, and Rick Paul van Mulligen. Mefisto deals with the question of when ‘just doing your job’ crosses the line into collaboration. Even now, we live in a time when democracy and acquired rights are increasingly under pressure.
When is resistance necessary? Director Belle van Heerikhuizen: “Whether you are an artist or a civil servant, a student or an entrepreneur – at some point, your conscience starts to bother you. Then you have to choose: do I go along with the system and reap the benefits? Or do I resist, even if I have to pay a price for it?”
Artists in Wartime: Mephisto is based on the book of the same name by Klaus Mann, which he wrote four years before the Second World War. The Israeli writer Maya Arad Yasur, currently also an artist in wartime, is creating the stage adaptation. Her work is shown in many countries; this is the first time a piece of hers can be seen in the Netherlands.
