Mrs Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library

1933 Berlin. With martial law in effect, political activism has become a capital crime. When a young Gestapo officer arrests a philosophy graduate student, her interrogation will endanger them both.

Direct from its critically acclaimed Off-Broadway premiere and inspired by the real life arrest of Hannah Arendt, Jenny Lyn Bader's thrilling and timely new play illuminates the struggle for human connection and perseverance in even the darkest of times.

Luna Stage, one of North America’s most exciting new writing theatres, and Olivier, Tony, Emmy and 19-time Scotsman Fringe First Award-winning producer Richard Jordan, who continues his long association with the Traverse Theatre, return with the European Premiere of Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library following their 2025 Scotsman Fringe First sell-out production of RIFT.

After the European Premiere of Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library at the Traverse as part of TravFest26, the production will return in September to New York for a six-week Off-Broadway engagement at 59E59 Theaters.

Mrs Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library is part of the Traverse's £1 Ticket Project.

Image: Valerie Terranova

Reviews

★★★★ ‘A world where millions of ordinary people still have a chance to make a choice between good and evil’ - The Times 

★★★★‘Bader’s play is an incisive and refreshingly intelligent meeting of minds’- The Herald 

★★★★ 'The play is a phenomenally executed script that allows the audience to draw comparisons with the contemporary world political stage.' -The Recs

★★★★ ‘Incisive and compelling’ - Everything Theatre 

★★★★ 'An enthralling piece of theatre' - Plays To See

'Thought-provoking..well-acted, precisely calibrated'- New York Times

'Playwright Jenny Lyn Bader has woven the bare historical facts of a real arrest into a taut and subtle intellectual thriller'- Vineyard Gazette

'Spell-binding' - Fringe Review  

If you have access requirements, please contact our Sales and Welcome Team on boxoffice@traverse.co.uk or 0131 228 1404 so we can arrange reserved seating for you and discuss how else we can best support your visit.