Die Verwirrungen des Zöglings Törleß

Based on the novel by Robert Musil
Stage adaptation by Benjamin Junghans

Basini — unathletic, boastful, and living beyond his means — is an outsider at the elite boarding school, the Convict of W. When the two self-appointed leaders of the class, Reiting and Beineberg, catch Basini stealing, they decide — instead of reporting him to the school authorities — to subjugate him. From then on, he is secretly blackmailed, tormented, and humiliated by them on a regular basis.

Törleß, on the other hand, assumes more of a follower's role within the school community. While he is intelligent, he is also insecure and reserved. After initial hesitation, Törleß begins to take part in the sadistic game, torn between being repelled by the increasingly perverse physical and sexual humiliations and being fascinated by the power he is able to exert over the weaker individual.

Robert Musil published his debut novel The Confusions of Young Törless at the age of 26. The conditions he describes remain as relevant today as they were a hundred years ago. Through the depiction of four students in a strictly regimented environment, Musil illustrates the development and success of authoritarian social structures.