The subject-object relationship between humans and "nature" that's rooted in Western modernity is getting shakier. Environmental disasters, Earth system crises, and species extinction show how humans and non-humans depend on each other in moments of destruction. An increased awareness of relationality and interdependence inevitably leads to the question of representation, which transcends the traditional boundaries of academic disciplines. While in the courtroom, the natural and animal kingdoms appear not because of their intrinsic value, but solely through humans, the same applies in theater on a narrative and aesthetic level. Non-humans are not protagonists; their stories remain unheard.
Based on a keynote speech by actor and author Maximilian Grünewald, the transdisciplinary panel of experts from the fields of art, law, and philosophy will explore the question of how to represent a "nature" that has begun to break down the narrow boundaries imposed on it by modernity.
The event will be opened by Dr. Margit Weber, Vice President for Equal Opportunities, Talent Promotion, and Diversity at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.
Panel discussion:
Maximilian Grünewald (author, actor, researcher)
Alexander Eisenach (resident director at the Residenztheater)
Dr. Sophie Kargruber (Attorney at Law, Beukelmann | Müller | Partner Rechtsanwälte mbB law firm)
Dr. Regina Schidel (Institute for Political Science, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main)
Moderator: Dr. Nicolai v. Maltitz (LMU Munich)
Please note: The event language is German.
Maximilian Grünewald (Artist, actor, researcher)
© Maximilian Grünewald
"The stories of the Anthropocene deal with the intertwining of what previously appeared to us as separate: culture and nature, the animate and the inanimate, the human and the non-human. If you want to bring these stories to the stage, you need a similar intertwining of art and science. Preparing this intertwining both narratively and structurally is the programme of the new science theatre."
Maximilian Grünewald is an artist/actor, researcher and initiator of transdisciplinary research. In his practice, he focuses on the power of storytelling to narrate intertwined human and non-human situations. He combines his training as an actor with his interest in philosophy and science theory, thus questioning common job profiles in art and science. His artistic research is dedicated to theatre that responds to the climate crisis and addresses epistemological questions.
Dr. Sophie Kargruber (Lawyer, BM-Partner)
© Sophie Kargruber
"Humans and animals share a common habitat. We should therefore recognise that we live in a community with animals. The goal of this community must be a harmonious human-animal relationship that takes into account the interests of both humans and animals in an appropriate manner."
Sophie Kargruber studied law at LMU Munich, specialising in criminal justice, criminal defence and prevention. She wrote her doctoral thesis on ‘The Dignity of Animals’ and, as a research assistant at the chair of Prof. Dr. Helmut Satzger, dealt with criminal (constitutional) issues in the context of climate and environmental protection, among other things. Sophie Kargruber has been working as a criminal defence lawyer since April 2025.
Alexander Eisenach (Hausregisseur am Residenztheater München)
© Joel Heyd
"The hierarchical relationships of our perception of the world are inscribed in the canonical narratives of our culture. The patriarchal protagonist, for whose heroic journey the world is a stage. The whole world is a prop, a supporting actress, existing only in relation to the human leading actor. If we want to change our view of the world and our relationship to it, we must search for other narratives, other narrative structures."
Alexander Eisenach, born in East Berlin in 1984, is an author and director. He works at the Deutsches Theater Berlin, the Schauspiel Stuttgart and as resident director at the Residenztheater Munich, among others. Here, together with Max Grünewald, he is responsible for the series ‘Im Dickicht der Stadt’ (In the Thicket of the City), in which art and science meet in questions of urban perception of nature.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Dr. Regina Schidel (Philosopher, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt a. M.)
© David Ausserhofer
"When we think of sustainability, we first think of nature and our natural environment. But the term implies much more than that. Building sustainable relationships on this planet also requires us to consider interpersonal relationships and their contingencies. Social and ecological factors must always be considered together. Sustainability thus proves to be a challenge to a fragile bio-social network of relationships."
Regina Schidel is an academic advisor at the Department of Political Theory and Philosophy at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. Her research focuses on human dignity, human rights, epistemic injustice, the marginalisation of people with disabilities and questions of relationality. Her new book, Disability and Society: Ableism from a Sociological Perspective, will be published by Suhrkamp stw in December this year.