The Long Shadow of Alois Brunner
The Long Shadow of Alois Brunner interrogates the true story of one of the most wanted Nazi criminals to escape sentencing. Instrumental to the deportation of over 100,000 people to concentration camps and ghettos, Alois Brunner evaded numerous arrest attempts – fleeing to Damascus where he was instrumental in building Syria’s intelligence services. Arriving in 21st century Berlin as a refugee, Syrian playwright Mudar Alhaggi discovers Brunner’s story and begins to research obsessively before disappearing…
In this gripping play, we meet two actors piecing together the fragments of Alhaggi’s research as personal experience, world history, truth and fiction all collide. Weaving together Syrian and German history, The Long Shadow of Alois Brunner explores exile, accountability and political memory – and the complex thread that ties the past to the present. It raises searing questions about refuge, justice and hope.
Press
“…tense mystery of missing writer and Nazi fugitive… slippery, intriguing and full of nuance…” The Guardian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“A striking piece of theatre that will stay for me for a long time, probably forever” Theatre Reviews North ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Creative Team
- Text: Mudar Alhaggi
- Direction: Omar Elerian
- Actors: Wael Kadour and Mohammad Al Rashi
- Design: Jonas Vogt
- Sound & Music: Vincent Commaret
- Research and dramaturgical advice: Eric Altorfer
- Producer International: Eckhard Thiemann
Credits
This presentation is part of Masahat festival 2025, in partnership with Nordic Black Theater and is supported by Perform Europe as part of the Collective Ma’louba tour project. The Perform Europe supported tour is a partnership between Collective Ma’louba and El Hamra Théatre Tunisia; Qendra Multimedia – Pristina, Kosovo; Mittelfest – Cividale de Friuli, Italy; 36Monkeys – Sofia, Bulgaria, Masahat – Oslo, Norway.
Practical Information
Length: 80min
Language: Arabic with English subtitles
Age: 14+
Content warning: The play contains references to trauma, torture, war and mental health.
About Perform Europe
Perform Europe, supported by the European Union, is a funding scheme for the European performing arts sector. It facilitates international networking and supports inclusive, diverse, and eco-friendly touring projects across the 40 Creative Europe countries. Perform Europe emphasises practices rooted in sustainability and inclusivity, aiming to transform the performing arts sector and ensure a balanced distribution across the continent.
Perform Europe is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union and implemented by a consortium of six organisations: IETM – International network for contemporary performing arts, European Festivals Association (EFA), Circostrada, European Dance Development Network, Pearle * – Live Performance Europe and IDEA Consult.