Allein im Rosa Winkel

Intensive theater workshop
For young people and young adults aged 16–27

Independent theater scene Düsseldorf
31.10.-03.11.2024

Final presentation at the Theatermuseum Düsseldorf
03.11.2024

Artistic direction Marvin Wittiber

Cooperation Mahn- und Gedenkstätte Düsseldorf, Queere Geschichte(n) Düsseldorf e.V., Theatermuseum Düsseldorf, Amt für Gleichstellung und Antidiskriminierung Düsseldorf
Collaboration Stadtarchiv Düsseldorf, Lesben- und Schwulenbibliothek Düsseldorf (LuSBD)
Funding Fonds Soziokultur aus Mitteln der Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien, Jugendfonds Demokratie leben!

"Never again is now!" echoes through German streets these days. For years, far-right terror and hate crimes have been increasing in the country – also targeting queer people. For this reason, many civil society forces are calling for LGBTQ* rights to finally be enshrined in Article 3, Paragraph 3 of the German Basic Law. So far, they remain absent as the only victim group of National Socialism not included.

Too little is still known about the lives, loves, and suffering of queer people during the Nazi dictatorship – there is a lack of fundamental research. Since persecution and oppression continued after the war, and queer victims were excluded from memorial culture, the existing knowledge has not been widely disseminated.

Few people likely know that Düsseldorf was a center of persecution of homosexuals during the Third Reich. By August 1938, the Gestapo had arrested about 400 men here alone – more than in any other western German city. Through surveillance, raids, and arrests, the queer subculture was to be destroyed and the individuals isolated. But what remains of that today? Who were these people? How can we give them a voice and help them gain the visibility they deserve?

Together with director Marvin Wittiber and his team, you will embark on a theatrical investigation into Nazi-era Düsseldorf and, in this workshop, focus on the stories and realities of those persecuted for their perceived homosexuality. How can we use our own voices and bodies to tell their stories?

Photography Lukas Marvin Thum

Preliminary report

Theater project dedicated to persecuted homosexuals in Düsseldorf during the Nazi era
Carla König, Rheinische Post 

Interviews

Interview: Marvin Wittiber about the theater workshop "Allein im Rosa Winkel"
Simone Saftig, Kulturkenner 

Persecution of homosexuals in the Nazi era: making the fates tangible
Lucas Gangluff, NRZ 

Press releases

"Allein im Rosa Winkel" – theater project on queer life in the Nazi era 
Valentina Ilgenstein, Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf 

Final presentation "Allein im Rosa Winkel". Theater workshop for teenagers and young adults deals with queer life during the Nazi era
Valentina Ilgenstein, Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf