A month ago, Macau’s Hiu Kok Drama Association staged the first Cantonese version of German writer Ferdinand von Schirach’s immersive legal drama Terror – Your Verdict.
Set in Germany, the drama unfolds as an airliner is hijacked by terrorists who threaten to crash it into a football stadium in Munich where an international football match is taking place, gathering together more than 70,000 spectators. At the last minute, Air Force Major Lars Koch flies his fighter jet to shoot the plane down, saving the 70,000 people in the stadium but killing all 164 on board. For his actions he is arrested and tried for murder.
In 2006, a judicial decision from the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany declared that the German Aviation Security Act (which allowed the German Ministry of Defence to shoot down airliners when they were hijacked by terrorists in order to save as many lives as possible) was unconstitutional. Article 1 of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany states that human dignity is inviolable and that respect for and protection of such dignity is an obligation of all state organs.
The on-stage drama of Terror – Your Verdict begins with a courtroom trial, and as the prosecution and defence fight fiercely against each other, and various witnesses provide their statements, the scope of the discussion in the courtroom expands. Ultimately, the audience is called on to be jurors and vote on whether Major Lars Koch should be found guilty or innocent. The audiences’ verdict is announced on the spot.
Following the success of the stage version of the play, the audience interactive court room scene was made into a TV movie entitled The Verdict in 2016, and a traditional Chinese version of the play was later created in 2017.
Born in Munich, Germany in 1964, Schirach has been a practicing lawyer since 1994, specialising in criminal cases. In 2009, he released his debut novel Verbrechen (Crime), based on a variety of cases he experienced during his career as a lawyer. The novel attracted a great deal of attention from readers and the media.
In 2010, his second book, Schuld (Guilt), was published becoming a bestseller in Germany and later internationally. It has also been the subject of various adaptations.
The Verdict explores the change in the hearts and minds of European societies after refugee crises in the context of the September 11 attacks, as well as the attitudes of people in an increasingly chaotic world. With the anger and fear triggered by the disorder and chaos of terrorist activities and social conflicts, the public has become extremely sensitive and tense, especially when manipulated by the media or political forces.
People can often be quick to point the finger of blame at apparent “culprits” like refugees, new immigrants and foreign workers – who become the target of public criticism, while the root cause of the problem is hidden behind the surface and the responsibility of social policy makers is overlooked.
The Verdict is like a magnifying glass, allowing the reader or viewer to search for the truth beneath the chaos of a fictional story. If you happened to have missed the stage version of Terror- Your Verdict, perhaps you can find the book to appreciate the great dramatic tension and deep philosophical thinking that it presents.
JOE’S READING LIFE
By Joe Tang – Author
