Geld ist Klasse

It’s high time for a theatrical assault on excessive wealth! It’s no longer enough to simply lament poverty, exploitation, and social discrimination. We must talk about wealth, we must talk about money, and we must finally talk about the super-rich.

That is the mission of “Geld ist Klasse”: Marlene Engelhorn, heiress to a fortune of millions; theater producer Volker Lösch; actress Marlene Reiter; and author Lothar Kittstein show how great wealth translates into undemocratic power, how money and (in)justice are connected, and how excessive wealth disguises itself to the outside world and immunizes itself against criticism—and they ask how we can put a stop to it in order to save democracy and make a good life possible for everyone. In doing so, they combine documentary elements with personal stories and grotesque dramatized scenes into a hybrid whole designed to do one thing above all else: inspire a desire for change.

In *Geld ist Klasse*, Marlene Engelhorn becomes the first ultra-wealthy individual to speak self-critically about wealth on the theater stage. Through these insights into the insular world of the ultra-wealthy, “Money Is Class” brings the process of realization to life. It becomes clear that change can only be achieved collectively—the poor, the rich, the public, and politicians must all take action.

The world premiere took place on September 20, 21, and 22, 2024, at the FFT in Düsseldorf. Since then, “Geld ist Klasse” has been touring German-speaking countries.

Cast: Marlene Engelhorn, Volker Lösch, Marlene Reiter
Co-director: Therese Lösch
Prompter: Céline Dubil
Text: Lothar Kittstein and the ensemble
Costumes: Teresa Grosser