Program
YouTube
Instagram
Facebook
With the political farce “Ein Volksbürger”, Nico and the Navigators have staged a play based on the research of the Verfassungsblog team led by Maximilian Steinbeis. The world premiere with Fabian Hinrichs in the leading role took place at the Haus der Bundespressekonferenz in 2024 and was nominated for the Theatertreffen and the Friedrich Luft Prize in 2025.
The play shows the rapid rise of a populist prime minister in a German Free State and the resulting threat to democracy. In a series of press conferences, “Ein Volksbürger” tells the story of the career of a political shooting star. The unauthorised actions of this politician challenge the federal government and ultimately force a showdown. In the end, all that remains is Article 37 of the Basic Law, which provides for drastic measures as a “federal compulsion” and which has never been applied before. In the explosive election year of 2026 with upcoming state elections in several federal states, “Ein Volksbürger” is far more than just a theatrical experiment. The play is an example of how a charismatic seducer attempts to undermine the political system with charm, populism and intelligence.
Press reviews
- “When uninhibited polarisation poisons and overlays the debate and remnants of rational discourse, when parliaments are deliberately disparaged and misused as propaganda platforms, in this production the theatre conversely becomes an instrument of analysis.” (Peter Laudenbach, Süddeutsche Zeitung)
- “…one of the more interesting theatrical contributions to the current political moment… The play’s strength lies precisely in not falling back on familiar tropes about the rise of fascism, but looking closely at what populists in power actually do.” (Philip Oltermann, The Guardian)
- “Rarely have stage spectacle and politics been so closely intertwined […] The simulation game, conceived by constitutional lawyer Maximilian Steinbeis and directed by Nicola Hümpel in the format of press conferences, also clearly showed how helpless and clueless defenders of democracy can appear when the other side acts cleverly […] “Ein Volksbürger” brings the Berlin of 1932 and the Erfurt of 2024 into eerie proximity.” (Tom Mustroph, taz)
Biography
Nico and the Navigators were founded in 1998 by Nicola Hümpel and Oliver Proske at the Bauhaus Dessau and are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. After a period at the Sophiensæle in Berlin, they have been continuously represented there since the opening of the Radialsystem in 2006. Their visually powerful style attracted international attention early on. With projects on Schubert, Handel, Bach, Rossini, Mahler and contemporary music, they are one of the most important music theater ensembles in Europe. The productions have toured the world with over 360 guest performances and have appeared at renowned opera houses, theaters and festivals. In 2011, Nico and the Navigators were honored with the George Tabori Prize, and in 2016 Nicola Hümpel received the Konrad Wolf Prize from the Akademie der Künste. Since 2019, the company has been working with augmented reality technology, among other things. In 2021, their Beethoven film “Force & Freedom”, produced by ARTE and EuroArts, was nominated for the “Opus Klassik” award.
