Bonhoeffer: Cell 92

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and theologian, was a leading spokesperson for the Confessing Church, the Protestant resistance to Hitler and National Socialism. He was eventually arrested and executed. In the eighty years since his death, his books have continued to be influential. In recent years, Bonhoeffer’s legacy has become polarized as people who support Donald Trump and those who oppose him, both claim this theologian as an inspiration for their views.  Another example of interest in Bonhoeffer is the film that will be released about his life in 2024. This play focuses on the final period of Bonhoeffer’s life, and promises to be thought-provoking and inspiring.

Much has been written about Bonhoeffer’s philosophical writings and life and much has been speculated about his involvement in the German opposition movement against Hitler and the Nazi regime. Using a variety of primary sources, including letters, diaries, and eye witness historical accounts, this play examines the tensions between Bonhoeffer’s pacifistic ideals and his moral obligation to protect the oppressed by engaging in conspiratorial activities. Although this is largely a biopic about an historical figure, audiences will see multiple parallels between Bonhoeffer’s time and our own.

This piece functions as a memory play. The three screens make up the walls of Bonhoeffer’s prison cell, where he spent the final year of his life. Following the chronology of Bonhoeffer’s correspondence with family and friends found in the famous text, Letters and Papers from Prison, the play also includes numerous flashbacks, scattered through the piece, which reveal Bonhoeffer’s complex motivations, relationships, and philosophies.

This play is the third collaboration between us. The first was Distant Witness: Social Media, the Arab Spring, and a Journalism Revolution, which premiered at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in 2016, and the second was U2 Romeo and Juliet: An Original Rock Musical, which premiered at EMU last October. We continue to seek new ways to challenge each other and our audiences with aesthetics and subject matter. This piece is designed to push artistic boundaries and to stimulate ongoing discussions about the subject matter.

We hope that this play moves you, challenges you, and entices you to learn more about the life and writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

- Jerry Holsopple and Justin Poole