I Was A German is an autobiographical story by critically acclaimed writer and performer Clare Fraenkel, recently seen in The Brief Life & Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria. The production follows her personal journey to reclaim the German citizenship stripped from her grandfather by the Nazis.
Blending innovative visuals, original music, storytelling, projections, and shadow puppetry, the show vividly brings to life 20th-century Europe. It offers a poignant migrant voice from Britain’s past while interrogating the present. The story begins in Berlin, 1933, when a night at the cinema led Clare’s grandfather, Heinz, to flee the country. Warned of the secret police waiting at his apartment, he escaped with only his passport and the clothes on his back—never to return as a German citizen.
Now, in the shadow of Brexit, Clare has applied to reclaim that lost citizenship under Article 116(2) of the German Basic Law. But is it truly hers to take? Her grandfather, Heinrich Fraenkel, a journalist and author of Farewell to Germany, chose not to reclaim his citizenship. Through his memoir, Clare discovered a man who defied the narrative of the ‘grateful refugee’.
The play shines a light on Heinz’s extraordinary life—from Berlin’s cabaret scene to internment in 1940s Britain, encountering everyone from the Soviets to Winston Churchill. It explores antisemitism, identity, and the far right—then and now—while drawing striking parallels between historical and contemporary anti-immigration rhetoric.
This highly topical piece interweaves Heinz’s refugee experience with Clare’s present-day reflections, engaging the audience in a dialogue about displacement, legacy, and belonging. As Clare puts it, “I wish it didn’t feel so relevant today,” but her grandfather’s resilience and optimism offer a message of hope that resonates deeply.
