Fräulein Else

In the organizer's words:

Monologue based on the novella by Arthur Schnitzler, in a version by Johanna Retzer

The Viennese doctor and storyteller Arthur Schnitzler had one thing in common with his pen pal, the psychoanalyst Siegmund Freund - he was passionately interested in the twists, turns and abysses of the human soul. In the novella "Fräulein Else", published in 1924, he exposes his title character to an almost unsolvable emotional conflict:
Nineteen-year-old Else is spending her vacation in an Italian spa town when she receives an express letter from her mother. The family is on the verge of bankruptcy because the father has embezzled and speculated with money, and a huge scandal is looming. The mother now begs her daughter to borrow the money from a local art dealer, an old business friend of her father. Von Dorsay agrees, but makes the payment on condition that Else undresses in front of him and shows him her nakedness. Else is deeply shocked and horrified, but is now faced with an impossible choice - humiliate herself for her father's sake or preserve her self-respect and condemn him to prison.

It is astonishing: almost 100 years after its publication, "Fräulein Else" poses questions that are more acute than ever: How do we deal with morality, power and responsibility? What are my values, what are the consequences of my actions? How do I define my identity, especially in times of omnipresent social media platforms? Do I still have any control over my image, my body?