Bader’s play is a suspenseful
drama that explores the relation-
ship between Hannah Arendt and
the young prison guard who ar-
rests her. It takes place in 1933
after Hitler has declared a state of
emergency. Martial law is in ef-
fect, with a new secret state police
in formation, and political activism
has become a capital crime. One
young police officer, Karl Frick,
gets promoted from the criminal
division to the new political divi-
sion. In his first week at his new
job, he arrests Johanna Stern, a
graduate student seen copying
documents in the library. Frick has
no idea that Mrs. Stern will be-
come one of the most influential
thinkers of the 20th century.
Is Mrs. Stern an innocent who
pressed a button on the mimeo-
graph machine at the wrong mo-
ment? Or is she an enemy of the
state? Frick can already tell that his
first interrogation promises to be
his most challenging one.
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 63
Jenny Lyn Bader
Jenny Lyn Bader is well versed
on the history of Hannah
Arendt. In fact, her husband,
Roger Berkowitz, is the Founder
and Academic Director of the
Hannah Arendt Center and Bader
is on the Board of Advisors. She
attends Hannah Arendt confer-
ences and has a house full of
Hannah Arendt books. When she
INDEX
NEXT ARTICLE
31