Mirror

Play by Sam Holcroft | German translation by Lucas Rosenstengel

The evening begins with a wedding celebration and a warning: “This performance is being held without the Ministry’s permission. Those who were unaware of this would be better off leaving now.”

Those who stay will see a play within a play: the story of car mechanic Adem Nariman. He wrote his first play, “The 9th Floor,” about life in his apartment building and is summoned to see Čelik, the director of the Ministry of Culture’s censorship department. Čelik has recognized Adem’s writing talent. He thinks his potential can be utilized—provided Adem writes in a state-approved, patriotic manner instead of speaking truths.

To “support” Adem, he goes through the work with him and his assistant Mei, offering criticism, making suggestions, and issuing threats. Finally, he introduces him to Bax, the author of the nation par excellence. His propagandistic plays are celebrated throughout the country. Čelik is obsessed with theater; he loves to give instructions, yet he also lends his assistant forbidden Shakespeare plays and teaches her, on their evening walks, how important it is to suppress one's own opinions.

Soon, however, the theatre spectators realize that the story is not as simple as it initially seems. Sam Holcroft’s play, which premiered in London in 2023, unfolds on several levels. The audience watches the forbidden performance, while simultaneously having to watch out for the secret police like the ensemble, and pretend they are at a wedding.