Schaubuhne Theatre

Offering a uniquely female perspective on war, science and the advance of chemical weapons, this is a multimedia show of epic scale and intricacy directed by Katie Mitchell, ‘British theatre’s true auteur’ (Guardian).

Clara Immerwahr, wife of the famed chemist Fritz Haber, is profoundly disturbed when her husband’s research leads to the development of chlorine gas during the First World War. Over 30 years later, her granddaughter, a scientist committed to finding a poison gas antidote, faces similar despair.

Interweaving multiple narratives across two time periods and continents, The Forbidden Zone features feminist texts by Virginia Woolf and Mary Borden, whose account of running a field hospital provides the production’s title. With elaborate period sets, including a moving subway train, the drama is heightened by the seamless, real-time creation onstage of cinematic-quality film, screened to intensify every meticulous move made by Schaubühne’s ensemble. Fräulein Julie, Mitchell’s previous collaboration with the famed German company, was praised for its mesmerising cast, staging of startling virtuosity and ‘non-stop coup de théâtre’ (Time Out).

Part of 14 to 18 NOW, a major cultural programme across the UK commemorating the centenary of the First World War

Suitable for ages 16 and over.

Performed in English and some German, with accompanying English surtitles.