Premiere in Chemnitz: Gold piece on the trail of misogyny

Premiere in Chemnitz: Gold piece on the trail of misogyny

On June 14, 2025, the Kosmos Festival in Chemnitz experienced an impressive premiere: the theater collective Pièrre Vers presented the play “Goldstück”. A profound examination of domestic violence is told from the perspective of the women affected. The work not only addresses physical and psychological abuse, but also sheds light on the social circumstances that lead to these atrocities. “I love you,” “You’re my gold,” and “Why don’t you just leave him?” are central questions raised in the play that encourage the audience to think.

Author Verena Günther guides the audience through the complex issues of toxic masculinity and femicide. The director Christof Seeger-Zurmühlen uses a kaleidoscopic production that features marked walls, metal rods and LED strips in an old industrial hall. This backdrop underlines the oppressive situation of the women and allows the audience to literally feel the confinement and violence of the situations described.

The depiction of violence and powerlessness

A total of 16 actors, including three men, bring these stories to the stage. Dressed in sporty clothing, they alternate between talking and playing to depict the different facets of violence. Particularly impressive are the stories of one character who reports 19 puncture sites and the others who describe their time in the women's shelter. To reinforce the messages, a social choir is used, reflecting the women's perspective and giving the piece additional emotional depth.

Another striking element are the musical accents: background noise, beats and collective dance moments create a captivating atmosphere. The piece lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes and takes place without an intermission. This density of the narrative leaves no room for breathing and forces the audience to continually engage with the intense content.

Domestic violence in a social context

The social context of domestic violence is also being discussed more and more urgently outside of the theater. Loud ZDF A woman is killed by her partner or ex-partner almost every third day, a shocking reminder of the reality of femicide. The facets of this violence range from physical to psychological manipulation, and many women live in constant fear of being attacked.

Experts like social worker Carina Huber, who leads an anti-aggression group, are working to break patterns of violence. In conversations with men who have become violent, it becomes clear that the topic requires new images of masculinity. This topic is also discussed by Aargauer Zeitung taken up, which shows in an interview with Claudia Wyss how deeply rooted structures of violence must be addressed.

The premiere in Chemnitz not only represents a powerful work of art, but also serves as an important contribution to the social debate about violence against women. “Goldstück” is an urgent plea that forces the audience to deal with these pressing questions and possibly also to question their own beliefs.