To hurt someone with a single word. The nervous state of society in the face of an external invasion, when friendships and family secrets are shattered and the best and worst in people – which had been hidden until then – come to the surface. Andorra is a small, peaceful state threatened by a neighbouring superpower known to be openly anti-Semitic, which persecutes and murders Jews. The principal character, Andri, is an illegitimate son whom his father alleges to be a Jewish foundling. Andri identifies himself with this role and his social position, living his life as a Jewish outsider in a Christian society. Even the revelation of the truth, intended to save him, can’t change anything when the invasion and persecution eventually occur.

Through a narrative with realistic character development Andorra explores the themes of identity and attitudes toward minorities, analyzing the social pressures that shape who can be considered a “Jew” – in the sense of a person whose dignity and life are a priori at risk – and under what circumstances. Among other things, it also explores how it is possible for people without prejudices to become convinced anti-Semites simply because external conditions change while fear, anxiety, and humiliation spread throughout society.

Swiss writer Max Frisch (1911–1991) was a prominent anti-war writer of the second half of the twentieth century, and his plays are part of the canon of German-language literature of that period. Besides the well-known darkly humorous farce Mr. Biederman and the Arsonists, his widely acclaimed work Andorra premiered in 1961. The play is directed by the prominent European director and theatre manager Martin Kušej, former artistic director of Vienna’s Burgtheater. Small states and their courage and cowardice in the shadow of the great powers – what could be more important for a Central European like Kušej to put on stage today, right here in the Czech Republic?

Premiere: 19^th May 2027 at the Mahen Theatre

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