TRIAL IN THEATRE
Audio piece on the Dessau show trial of 1950
‚Trial in Theatre. An audio piece about the Dessau show trial of 1950‘ is dedicated to the history, background and reception of one of the first show trials in the GDR, which took place in 1950 under the chairmanship of Judge Hilde Benjamin against employees of the Deutsche Continental-Gasgesellschaft in the Dessau Theatre. The documentary audio piece tells the story of the trial and aims to draw attention to a chapter of GDR history that has received limited attention to date.
‚There is no idea that exists separately and purified from history, whose purity could therefore be used as a refuge.‘
Bini Adamczak
Information board
Information board with QR code opposite the Dessau Theatre. The audio piece can be listened to free of charge at any time at the historic site using the QR code. The board is located on a bench on Friedensplatz in the Antoinettenstraße area in 06844 Dessau.
Hearing
Dessau, 20 September 2025: Public hearing on Friedensplatz opposite the Dessau Theatre.
Postcards
Postcard edition with a QR code on the back that links to the audio piece. The postcards are available at the Dessau Tourist Information Centre and the Dessau Museum of City History, among other locations.
‚The focus is not on the people who are to be tried in court, nor on the criminal assessment of the crimes they are accused of, but on the political situation in which every court ruling must become a political act.‘
Hilde Benjamin
29 April 1950. Dessau show trial
Image rights: Federal Archives Image 183-S96390 / Photographer: Paalzow, Günter
Supreme Court of the GDR in front of the Dessau State Theatre, 1950
Image rights: Dessau-Roßlau City Archives
29 April 1950. Dessau show trial
Image rights: Federal Archives Image 183-S96171 / Photographer: Paalzow, Günter
Dessau 1950: Der Kommentator des Berliner Rundfunks, Karl Eduard von Schnitzler überwacht die Sendung direkt vor dem Gerichtssaal.
Bildrechte: Bundesarchiv Bild 183-S96142 / Fotograf(in): Heilig
Press
Theater der Zeit
01. 10. 2025
by Lara Wenzel
‚In their historical-political audio piece, Weilandt and Stegemann approach the past not to reject the communist experiments of the 20th century, but to enable a reconstruction of communist futures in the spirit of philosopher Bini Adamczak.‘
Radio Corax
18. 09. 2025
Dessauer Schauprozess 1950 – Ein Politereignis, eine Schau und nun auch ein Hörstück.
Radio Corax in converstion
‚OST format e.V. reconstructs the historical event with the help of both documents and archive recordings and has created an audio art piece.‘
Mitteldeutsche Zeitung
15. 09. 2025
Alle mal herhören!
by Christian Eger
‚A spectacular show trial took place at the Dessau Theatre 75 years ago. The cultural association Ost format recounts this story in an audio play that will premiere in the public space.‘
‚The working people. Who are the working people?‘
Trial in theatre
Credits
with
Michael Seeboth, Jens Schäfer and Karoline Stegemann
Text/Director
Karoline Stegemann and Johannes Weilandt
Sounddesign
Claudio Demel und Johann Meis
Music
Chiara Strickland
Duration
52:59
With texts from
"Es begann im Theater" by Willi Brundert
With support of
Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv Potsdam, Bundesarchiv Berlin, Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv Halle/Saale, Stadtarchiv Dessau-Roßlau, Stadtmarketinggesellschaft Dessau-Roßlau mbH
In cooperation with
Kulturamt Dessau-Roßlau, Museum für Stadtgeschichte Dessau
Special thanks to
Andreas Hillger
Funded by the Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Germany