Lehrer*innen

They always have to do it right: our teachers. It is they to whom we entrust ourselves, our children, our future. Who wants to become a teacher anymore? What do these people demand of themselves, what does society demand of them? Which language should they speak, which headscarf should they wear, which attitude to life should they convey? The new piece by Björn Bicker was commissioned by Schauspielhaus Bochum. It will be staged at places, which form our communal life in the city: from town hall via library to auditorium, from court to gym.

Why teachers?

Björn Bicker: Very often political debates end with the sentence: "One should actually start with this at school". No matter whether it is about the future viability of our economy or about social cohesion – our teachers should do it right.

Malte Jelden: Our society has a schizophrenic relationship with its teachers. No other professional group is so needed and so clobbered at the same time. With all these contradictions, we are now making them heard. And not during consultation hours, not in the teachers‘ room – but on stage, in public space.

What are your own experiences with school?

Malte Jelden: All in my family were or are teachers: grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, cousins and cousins. I know it all: midday nap on every day, every holiday on holiday, corrections until midnight, constant class trips in your own garden. My father has not forgiven me for not becoming a teacher myself until today. (laughs)

How is the text created?

Björn Bicker: I talk to teachers in Bochum, visit schools and take lessons. I‘m collecting material. And the material will give rise to a literary form: a lament, a love song, a choir, a manifesto, a farce – or everything together!