Confess and Conspire by Andrew Mayo
1933. Two sisters kidnap the aging Red Count, Harry Kessler, and the young theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a misguided attempt to upset a plot to kill Hitler in an exploration of personal responsibility regarding what religion calls us to do – accept or act – and what Art calls us to do – passively observe or see below the surface. The younger sister, Marie Luise, seeks to liberate her trans sexuality and in...
1933. Two sisters kidnap the aging Red Count, Harry Kessler, and the young theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a misguided attempt to upset a plot to kill Hitler in an exploration of personal responsibility regarding what religion calls us to do – accept or act – and what Art calls us to do – passively observe or see below the surface. The younger sister, Marie Luise, seeks to liberate her trans sexuality and in doing so she liberates the two men as well.
The script is based on Harry Kessler's diaries and a biography of Kessler and Dietrich Bonhoeffer's extensive writings and biographies. While the German general Baron Kurt von Hammerstein really had two daughters, Helga and Marie Luise, who were Communist spies, information about them is limited - but the 'behind the curtain' story has a basis in history (gossip of the day), though now debunked by historians.
All the issues in the play speak directly to contemporary issues in America.