Nachtschattengewächse (Nightshades)

Ivette, Joanna, Moritz and Jonas are students at a school that promises they will be better people and have a bright future ahead of them when they graduate. The education system is a strict hierarchy that promotes those students who show dedication, engage in self-optimisation and toe the line. Great emphasis is placed on erasing personal memories and on physical exercise and hygiene. Driven by the conviction that you can achieve anything through hard work, these young people have little tolerance for others – at least during daytime, when everything is seen and monitored. In the darkness of night, memories, doubts, feelings and dreams emerge. The nighttime is when friendships are established, dependencies examined, and secrets collected. The appearance of Henrique destabilises the entire system. How can anyone promptly enter at the highest hierarchical level? He must have influential parents. Or could the opposite be true? Besides, Henrique doesn’t care about the system; he seeks fun and diversion outside the rules and regulations. This outsider is a source of fascination for the four adolescents. And where have all the adults suddenly gone?

NACHTSCHATTENGEWÄCHSE, Johannes Hoffmann’s play for young people, tells the story of five adolescents who are left alone to deal with the educational goals of an irresponsible adult generation. The play was awarded the Retzhof Drama Prize for Young Audiences in 2021