Dramatic premiere: Theater play the Steglitz student tragedy!

On January 6, 2025, it became known that the Cologne Theater Academy will premiere its final production “at the highest point” on January 31, 2025. The piece is based on the 1927 Steglitz student tragedy and is about a murder and suicide pact between 18-year-old Paul Krantz and 19-year-old Günther Scheller, in which four people were to die. The staging addresses extreme situations, desire, jealousy and escalating conflicts at a party and indicates possibly triggering content, including suicide, murder, sexual assault and homophobia.

Marcus Krone, the director, and Kristina Geßner, the actress, commented on the topicality of the play and the challenges of young people of today. Krone emphasized the importance of curiosity and dunes of play in the ensemble, while Geßner planned to broaden itself in acting and spokeswoman. In addition, Krone spoke about personal hurdles after the training, especially the audition, and emphasized the essential values from the training, to which contact with others, let go and self -confidence. The performances will take place on January 31 and on February 1st, 6th and 7th at 8pm and on February 2 and 8 at 6 p.m. in the Orangery Theater.

Steglitz student tragedy as the basis

The Steglitz student tragedy, which took place on June 28, 1927 in Steglitz, Berlin, was a tragic incident that also affected a murder and suicide pact. In this case, the parties involved were Paul Krantz (18), Günther Scheller (19), Hans Stephan (18) and Hildegard Scheller (16). The incident occurred under the influence of alcohol in the summer house in Mahlow when Günther Scheller shot Hans Stephan and then took his life. Paul Krantz, who was also part of the pact, did not explain the crime. The case that was triggered by intimate relationships and unhappy love led to an indictment against Krantz for murder in November 1927.

The process began on February 9, 1928 and excited great public interest, whereby the meeting room had to be sealed off and prominent spectators were present. Paul Krantz was finally sentenced to three weeks in prison on February 20, 1928 for unauthorized ownership, while he was acquitted for the murder system. The incident triggered a debate about the moral decay of the youth in the Weimar Republic and led to various reactions from social institutions and family. The case of Paul Krantz later also found literary and cinematic distribution and was processed in various works, including the novel "The Rental Enterior" and the novel "Island of Hope".