UK Premiere of Youth Without God By Christopher Hampton to be Staged at the Coronet Theatre

Playwright and novelist Ödön von Horváth is one of the foremost German language writers. His last novel, Youth Without God, written in 1937, is his message from the past written to the future – a shocking evocation of life under fascism. It is brought to The Coronet Theatre stage by multi award-winning dramatist Christopher Hampton.

Youth Without God charts a disillusioned teacher’s reaction to the unfolding rise of racist and militarist propaganda; a dark fable about the individual conscience in a time of social uncertainty, the indoctrination of youth, and the collective numbness to the appeals of faith or morality. In a classroom where every pupil is a spy, the mildest comment can result in accusations of ‘sabotage of the Fatherland’. Subsequently, at a Youth Camp – where events unfold leading to murder – the teacher has to choose between personal security and moral truth.

Born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ödön von Horváth moved to Germany as a young writer. In 1933 he relocated to Vienna, and in 1938, on the day of the Anschluss, fled to Paris. His plays had been banned by the Nazi regime, and Youth Without God was published in Holland – from where it became a world best seller.

This adaptation by Christopher Hampton was originally commissioned by and performed in Vienna at the Theater in der Josefstadt in 2009. On its 10^th anniversary, Youth Without God will be directed in her UK debut by Award-winning Austrian director Stephanie Mohr: “We are looking into the eye of the storm of fascism and I am convinced that focussing on these issues is essential. I am therefore hugely looking forward to work on Horváth’s last novel, truthfully adapted for the stage by Horváth-specialist and-lover Christopher Hampton”.

The cast will be Mark Aiken, Owen Alun, Raymond Anum, Brandon Ashford, Christopher Bowen, Malcolm Cumming, Finnian Garbutt, Anna Munden, Nicholas Nunn, Clara Onyemere and Alex Waldmann.