On October 11, 2025, exactly in time for International Coming Out Day, an extraordinary theater piece will premiere in Krefeld: “No Word From Us.” It is the first German-language stage work explicitly aimed at teenagers and young adults, tackling the persecution of homosexual people under Paragraph 175 in Nazi Germany.
Developed by the independent Düsseldorf-based theater collective Düsseldrama, which for more than a year has been making queer histories visible through its “Rosa Winkel Trilogy.” In collaboration with the Krefeld NS Documentation Center, they have created an independent work by author Simone Saftig, directed by Marvin Wittiber, a director and TheColu.mn contributor. In the lead is Victor Maria Diderich — a member of the #ActOut initiative. The production is supported by numerous queer initiatives such as the Queer Network NRW, the Krefeld CSD, AIDS-Hilfe Krefeld, the Being Queer office at Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, and Queere Geschichte(n) Düsseldorf.
The story takes us to Krefeld in the 1930s: Kaspar, an apprentice in a strict residential setting, finds solace in his friend Wilhelm—until he meets the charismatic Franz. Between the two boys, a quiet, tender closeness develops. But in a climate of control, suspicion, and under the ban of Paragraph 175, friendship quickly becomes danger. The play tells not only of repression and fear, but also of loyalty, identity, and the courage of first love.
Historical sources on queer biographical figures from the Nazi era are scarce — often only perpetrator files exist. “No Word From Us” understands itself as an artistic response to these gaps: careful reconstruction, reading between the lines, opening spaces for repressed stories. Thus the piece is both a coming-of-age narrative and a tender act of defiance.
The world premiere takes place on October 11, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. at Südbahnhof in Krefeld. Additional evening performances are scheduled for October 13, 14, and 15, each at 8:00 p.m. They are embedded in a frame program featuring introductions by the NS Documentation Center as well as panel and artist discussions. Admission is free. The Villa Merländer Supporting Association (e.V.) and the Düsseldrama theater collective are asking for donations to support artistic memory work. Ticket reservations and further information are available here.
