Fräulein Else

Even 100 years after its original publication, Arthur Schnitzler’s novella FRÄULEIN ELSE has lost none of its explosive power. While on a summer holiday, the young Else T. is told by her parents to ask the art dealer Dorsday for money – they need it urgently, as it is the only way to save her indebted father from jail and the family from social disgrace. Dorsday realises that Else has no alternative and exploits her for a cruel game: he will only transfer the sum her father owes if he can spend quarter of an hour looking at her naked… Director Leonie Böhm adapts Schnitzler’s novella, which is consistently told in an internal monologue from Elsa’s viewpoint, into a solo with the actor Julia Riedler. The pair carry Else’s stream of consciousness about the abuse of power and the commodification of the female body forward into the here and now. After its premiere, the newspaper Der Standard called it a “triumph”, the news agency APA wrote of “a brilliant balancing act between desperation, thoughtfulness, defiance and a good portion of humour. FRÄULEIN ELSE is great entertainment that never takes its eye off the serious matter at heart. Böhm and Riedler have set the bar for all others.” And so it is no surprise that Julia Riedler was named Actress of the Year 2025 by Theater heute for her portrayal of Else.