The young Karl Roßmann is sent across the Atlantic to make a scandal forgotten. His escape leads to a physical and emotional journey through an idealized, ultimately unattainable America.
With his novel fragment Amerika (later titled The Missing Man ), Kafka created an alternative concept to the common legends of the American dream and its promises: Instead of individual social advancement, which is supposed to be open to every industrious person, Karl suffers a perpetual decline, experiencing a world full of misunderstandings and alienation in his search for identity and belonging, in which dreams and hopes are shattered by the confrontation with reality.
Karl's encounters and experiences open the door to a deep examination of themes such as autonomy, control and the illusion of freedom in a society dominated by hierarchies and rigid structures.
Premiere May 17
Further performances: May 20, 15, 18, 20 and 21 June 2025