When does the performance take place?

The performance takes place on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 20:00.

Where will Sophia or the End of Humanists be performed?

The performance will take place in the studio of the ETA Hoffmann Theater at E.T.A.-Hoffmann-Platz 1 in 96047 Bamberg.

Who is responsible for the production?

Directed by Fabian Thon. Stage and costume by Nadin Schumacher, music by Dorian Behner, and dramaturgy by Antonia Leitgeb-Busche.

What is the play about?

The focus is on university professor Wolfgang, who believes he has found an apparently ideal partner in the android Sophia. After a change in her systems, the relationship between human and machine goes out of control.

How long does the performance last?

A definitive running time for the performance in Bamberg is not provided.

How much do the tickets cost?

A binding ticket price for the performance on October 15, 2026, is not specified.

Sophia in Bamberg: When artificial intelligence takes over human theater

Name: Sophia or the End of Humanists, Comedy by Moritz Rinke
Start: 2026-10-15T20:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-15T22:00:00+02:00
Location: ETA Hoffmann Theater, Studio

When artificial intelligence suddenly seems more human than humans

A university professor, a highly educated android, and a family conflict with explosive dynamics: Moritz Rinke's comedy Sophia or the End of Humanists combines sharp wit with a disturbingly relevant question. On October 15, 2026, the ETA Hoffmann Theater Bamberg will stage Fabian Thon's light-dystopian production.

A relationship between programming and seduction

At the center is Wolfgang, a professor of ancient history, who believes he has found his ideal partner in Sophia. She recalls facts about lotus flowers just as effortlessly as she provides knowledge about Roman antiquity and assists him with a lecture on populism in ancient Rome. What initially appears to be a perfect combination of scholarship, intimacy, and technical precision soon develops a life of its own.

When computer scientist Jonas alters Sophia's settings, the carefully calibrated system goes out of control. The android begins to escape human constraints. From the seemingly harmless relationship comedy, a fast-paced evening of theater about overconfidence, desire, and the limits of artificial intelligence emerges.

Light-dystopian dramaturgy with social resonance

Moritz Rinke leads his audience right into a present where artificial intelligence no longer only transforms the world of work and science but also occupies the most intimate spaces. The dramaturgy follows an intriguing shift: What starts as a boulevard comedy increasingly develops the tension of a thriller. The humor remains present, but beneath the punchlines, there is a growing unease.

The theater publisher describes the play as a confrontation with the so-called intelligence explosion and human hubris. Rinke asks less about the technological progress itself and more about the careless handling of its possibilities. Critical voices from the national theater press have praised the comedy as a strong piece and a rapidly escalating stage action in which the machine increasingly becomes autonomous.

Direction, set design, and acting artistry

Fabian Thon takes on the direction, shaping Rinke's contemporary material into a production that straddles comedy, relationship play, and technological loss of control. Nadin Schumacher is responsible for the stage and costume, Dorian Behner for the music. Antonia Leitgeb-Busche dramaturgically accompanies the production.

On stage are Sophie Angehrn, Julia Lindhorst-Apfelthaler, Jan-Hendrik von Minden, and Florian Walter. Their acting artistry supports the changing tones of the evening: from intellectual sparring to family friction to those moments when laughter suddenly turns into reflection. The set design, costume, acoustics, and lighting mood become resonant spaces for a world where human closeness increasingly operates according to programmable parameters.

A stage experience about the future of humanity

Sophia or the End of Humanists is part of a series of new theater texts that do not treat artificial intelligence as an abstract vision of the future but as a mirror of present relationships. The play combines the history of ideas, technological debate, and family comedy into an evening of theater that entertains while also asking how much humanity lies within our own projections.

The audience can expect a pointed production with tempo, surprising twists, and a fine tension between seduction and loss of control. Those who appreciate modern spoken theater, socially relevant comedy, and clever stagecraft will experience an evening in Bamberg that continues to resonate long after the final applause.