Dorst, Tankred - Herr Paul

Herr Paul (1994) is a one-act play by Tankred Dorst set in a decaying factory in newly reunited East Germany. Paul, a longtime squatter, is confronted by Helm, the factory’s new owner and presumed heir, whose optimism reflects the promises of the post-Berlin Wall era. Joined by Paul’s opera-loving sister, Luise, their uneasy meeting turns into a confrontation with the layers of history embedded in the building and in themselves.

As memories of past owners, regimes, and moral compromises surface, Dorst explores questions of inheritance, responsibility, and illusion. With dark humor and quiet irony, Der Paul examines the uneasy shift from ideology to capitalism and the human cost of believing in easy renewal.