About the work
Société Anonyme is a theatre piece by Stefan Kaegi (Rimini Protokoll) performed entirely in darkness. Kaegi was responsible for concept, research and direction, Aljoscha Begrich for the space, and Arvild Baud for music and sound concept. It premiered on 11 November 2023 in the MalerSaal of the Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg, co-produced with Rimini Protokoll and Schauspiel Leipzig.
Plot
The audience sits in the dark while nine people who wish, or need, to remain unrecognised tell stories from their lives through a spatial sound system. Among them are an undocumented man working in the port, a person living with schizophrenia, a survivor of abuse, a tax adviser and a Catholic priest. Gül Pridat accompanies the evening with live music and guides the audience into the dark room.
Cultural significance
The piece asks what protection anonymity offers – from the dark web and whistleblowing to confession – and which stories can only be told unseen. After Hamburg the production travelled to Leipzig, Berlin, the Perspectives festival and the International Schiller Days in Mannheim, among others; critics praised individual testimonies but found the concept partly vague.