When does the performance start

Start is on 12.04.2026 at 17:00. Doors open at 16:30.

How much do the tickets cost

Pre-sale costs €8. Members of the VHS support association pay €5, tickets at the box office cost €10.

Where does the play take place

The performance runs in the Great Hall of the Old E-Werk in Bamberg, Tränkgasse 4.

Are there accessible entrances

Yes, the hall is accessible according to the operator and ground-level. There are also barrier-free restrooms available.

Is the play rather easy or intense for the theater evening

It is an intense anti-war drama with serious themes like war, guilt, alienation, and hope.

Where can I get more information

Information will follow via the official vhs Bamberg City and the venue.

Wolfgang Borchert's drama meets Bamberg with eerie clarity and great stage power

Name: Outsider by Wolfgang Borchert
Start: 2026-04-12T19:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-04-12T21:00:00+02:00
Location: Altes E-Werk

An unsettling theater evening about returning home, guilt, and hope

Wolfgang Borchert's Outsider returns on April 12, 2026, as an intense stage experience in the Great Hall of the Old E-Werk. The vhs studio stage presents the anti-war drama under the direction of Heidi Lehnert as a concentrated, linguistically powerful theatrical atmosphere that draws the audience directly into Beckmann's lost state. The production is announced as an additional performance; ticket sales are managed by vhs Bamberg City. ([vhs-bamberg.de](https://www.vhs-bamberg.de/ueber-uns/unsere-dozentinnen/502-L-4366779))

Beckmann's return to a foreign world

Borchert's drama, which became famous shortly before and after his death in 1947, is one of the defining texts of German post-war literature. The returnee Beckmann faces a world that makes no room for him. It is precisely from this tension between humanity and rejection that the play draws its power. Early receptions emphasized the immense emotional impact and strong relevance of the text; at the same time, contemporary and later critiques made it clear how much productions continue to reveal the political context anew. ([vhs-bamberg.de](https://www.vhs-bamberg.de/ueber-uns/unsere-dozentinnen/502-L-4366779))

Direction, acting, and the power of reduction

Since 2012, Heidi Lehnert has been bringing the VHS studio stage to life with a keen eye for rhythm, voice, and ensemble leadership. Her artistic biography as an actress, director, and head of the studio stage promises a production that does not overload with effects but focuses on concentration, presence, and precise dramaturgy. Especially with Borchert, the reduction unfolds special power: language, silence, and inner upheaval become the actual carriers of the evening. ([vhs-bamberg.de](https://www.vhs-bamberg.de/ueber-uns/unsere-dozentinnen/502-L-4366779))

A subject that still resonates today

The play was described early on as an exhilarating event of the post-war stage and has been staged many times. Its themes of war, guilt, alienation, and the longing for belonging remain just as pressing in 2026. In a time when violence, displacement, and uncertainty permeate everyday life in Europe again, Beckmann's search for security takes on a haunting presence. This is precisely where the great strength of this performance lies: It transforms literary history into a living, painfully relevant theater experience. ([vhs-bamberg.de](https://www.vhs-bamberg.de/ueber-uns/unsere-dozentinnen/502-L-4366779))

The venue: Old E-Werk as a concentrated stage

The Old E-Werk in Bamberg has established itself as a venue for education and culture; the vhs Bamberg City is located at Tränkgasse 4, 96052 Bamberg. A municipal communication states a capacity limit of 199 persons for the Great Hall. Thus, the hall provides an intimate setting for a piece that thrives on closeness, eye contact, and shared attention. In addition, the venue is reportedly accessible with barrier-free entrances, ground-level hall, barrier-free restrooms, and information for companions. ([vhs-bamberg.de](https://www.vhs-bamberg.de/))

Conclusion: An evening for everyone who understands theater as an encounter

Outsider does not promise an easy evening but an intense stage experience full of resonance. Those who engage with Borchert's language, the concentrated direction of Heidi Lehnert, and the intimacy of the Old E-Werk will experience theater as a moral and emotional challenge in the best sense. This event is one of those performances that stay with you. It's worth being there live. ([vhs-bamberg.de](https://www.vhs-bamberg.de/ueber-uns/unsere-dozentinnen/502-L-4366779))