Federal President Steinmeier visits theater play in Görlitz

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier traveled to Görlitz on Sunday for a visit to the theater. Together with Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU), he wanted to watch a performance of the play "The Exemplary Life of Samuel W." by Lukas Rietzschel at the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater in the evening and then talk to the audience.

The 30-year-old author wrote the play on behalf of the theater. It focuses on the rise, views and fictional life of a populist politician. Rietzschel conducted around 100 interviews with people in Görlitz in 2022 and now lets them have their say in the play.

The theater hopes that the production will invite people to discuss and reflect. "Questions about fears and opportunities in a very complex world are forcing themselves on all of us, so it is very easy to want to find simple answers when differentiation would be better," said theater director Ingo Putz shortly before the premiere in January.

Steinmeier has another appointment in eastern Saxony on Monday. In Zittau, he wants to visit Fit GmbH, the best-known East German manufacturer of washing-up liquid.