When does The Castle Mistress take place?

The performance begins on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 8:15 PM.

Where will the play be performed?

The event takes place at the Theater im OP, Käte-Hamburger-Weg 3, 37073 Göttingen.

How much does admission cost?

Admission is free. Reservations can be made in advance.

How long does the performance last?

The performance lasts about 65 minutes. A post-discussion of approximately 30 minutes is planned afterwards.

Who wrote The Castle Mistress?

The play is by Lea Goldberg and is presented in a new translation by Gundula Schiffer.

How can I reserve seats?

Reservations can be made by email at theaterkarten@gwdg.de or by phone at 0551/3927077.

The Castle Mistress: A Touching Chamber Play about Truth, Guilt, and Memory

Name: The Castle Mistress
Start: 2026-10-21T20:15:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-21T21:50:00+02:00
Location: Theater im OP (ThOP)

The Castle Mistress: A Chamber Play about Guilt, Memory, and Truth

A storm forces a castle owner in Europe in 1947 to take in two foreign guests. What begins as a chance encounter develops into an intense theatrical experience about repressed past, moral responsibility, and the difficult search for a future after the Shoah.

An Encounter in the Shadow of History

Michael, a librarian, and Dora, a social worker for the children's and youth aliyah, have come to Europe from what was then Erez Israel. They are seeking stolen Jewish libraries for Jerusalem and survivors who have endured the war. In conversation with the aristocratic host, layers of a past that seems long gone yet dominates every present begin to unfold.

Lea Goldberg's Dramatic Experiment

The play by Lea Goldberg, in a new translation by Gundula Schiffer, unfolds its tension as a focused chamber play. The dramaturgy does not rely on external effects, but rather on language, pauses, and the gradual shift of certainties. The castle owner initially appears as a mysterious aristocrat who has helped in the resistance while also allowing Nazi forces to use his castle as headquarters.

A Hidden Life

At the center of the production is Lena, a Jewish girl who managed to escape persecution and murder into the forest. The castle owner took her in and hid her. However, even more than two years after the end of the war, he allows her to believe that the danger still exists. When she encounters Michael and Dora, truth and protective assertion collide.

Theatrical Atmosphere Between Storm and Inner Distress

The stage becomes a psychological space: a secluded castle, surrounded by a storm, permeated by memory and silence. The acting thrives on the tension between the courtly facade and moral abyss. The light mood, acoustics, and the intimacy of the chamber play intensify the situation until every gesture gains weight, and even a seemingly incidental sentence becomes a dramatic turning point.

Post-Discussion as a Second Layer of the Evening

After the approximately 65-minute performance, the production invites the audience to a post-discussion lasting about 30 minutes. The theatrical experience thus opens up for direct exchange: about responsibility, memory culture, Jewish life after 1945, and the question of how theater makes historical wounds visible without oversimplifying them.

Conclusion: The Castle Mistress connects precise staging, historical reflection, and intense acting to create a stirring theater evening. Those who want to experience a concentrated chamber play with moral tension and lasting audience reaction will find an evening at the Theater im OP that resonates long after the final image.