Judas at ETA Hoffmann Theater: A Defense Speech Against Hasty Judgment
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Judas Steps Out of the Shadow of Accusation
At the studio of the ETA Hoffmann Theatre Bamberg, one of the most contradictory figures of the Christian-Western tradition gains its own voice: Judas Iscariot. Walter Jens shifts the perspective in his pointed defense speech and lets the supposed traitor speak for himself. On November 10, 2026, at 8 PM, a concentrated stage experience begins about guilt, responsibility, exclusion, and the power of historical interpretations.
A Theological Accusation Becomes a Defense
For centuries, Judas has been regarded as the most famous traitor of Christian culture. However, Walter Jens's dramaturgy does not begin with condemnation but with the counter-speech. The defendant is given room to passionately explain his decisions with theological sharpness and ruthless logic. Without Judas, as the text's conceptual emphasis suggests, the Christian martyr myth cannot be told in the same way.
The production takes the audience into an imaginary tribunal. Judas wrestles, doubts, and contradicts. At the same time, he denounces the millennia-old Christian anti-Semitism and reevaluates his own role in the divine plan. The literature theatre thus becomes a space of realization, where familiar faith images begin to sway.
Immediate Acting in the Studio
Director Tim Adam and actor Marek Egert collaborate again after already shaping the vaulted stage of the house with The World on the Back. Marek Egert carries the evening as the central stage figure and gives Judas shifting tones: defiance and remorse, accusation and vulnerability, intellectual clarity and existential despair.
The concentrated studio atmosphere focuses on voice, body, and linguistic precision. The stage and costumes by Anaïs Buzduga condense the space, while the dramaturgy by Lea Mantel structures the monologue as a thought experiment. The acoustics, lighting mood, and proximity to the audience enhance the impression of a personal negotiation unfolding directly before the spectators.
A Plea Against Scapegoat Thinking
Judas is not just a reinterpretation of a biblical figure, but a strong plea against the hasty stigmatization of individuals and groups. The production combines religious motif history with societal reflection and shows how quickly a narrative can become a judgment.
The linguistic precision of Walter Jens meets a physically palpable direction and intense acting. This creates a high-tension Bible reading: a theatre evening that provides fewer answers than sharpens one's view on guilt, responsibility, and historical memory.
Conclusion: A Theatre Evening as an Open Negotiation
Visitors to the studio of the ETA Hoffmann Theater can expect a dense, challenging stage experience. Tim Adam's direction, Marek Egert's presence, and Walter Jens's precise text lead into a conflict that points far beyond the biblical tradition. Anyone who wants to experience theatre as an immediate encounter, linguistically powerful stage art, and a place of thinking should discover this performance live in Bamberg.
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