Performative reading
The Man Outside (Wolfgang Borchert)

Fri, 10.12.2021
6:30 PM Library MMB

After three years of being at war as a soldier, Beckmann returns home to rebuild his life from where he had left it. But, he soon realises nothing is as it was. Past relationships have gone to dust and the future looks bleak. Is there any point in living on, he questions the Other who prods him to live, to move on. 

Written by Wolfgang Borchert in 1946, based on his experience of serving in World War II, The Man Outside brings into focus the emotional turmoil of war veterans as they attempt to merge into the society that they struggle to understand. Recognizing the sensitivity of the post-war period that the play was released in, Borchert subtitled it - A play that no theatre wants to perform and no audience wants to see. But, that did not affect its reception. Its first radio broadcast was a great success. 

In the last 75 years, the play has been performed across the world and its intent has found resonance among audiences across times and borders. 

Cast: Dheer Hira, Monica Mahendru, Preeti Rao, Advait Kottary, Amey Mehta & Zoya Khan
Creative Editor: Himali Kothari
Directed by: Nikhil Katara