Trials of Money

Trials of Money turns the theatre into a court of justice which does not yet exist. You’re invited to take part in the Special Tribunal for Semi-Human Persons in order to undertake the trial of a thing – the very complex thing most commonly called ‘money’. Can it be held responsible for the disastrous state of the world today?

But how do we hold a trial if everybody in the court seems to be involved with the accused? And how do we call money to answer for its acts if it cannot speak with its own voice? Ten witnesses will testify: from a psychologist to an ex-banker, from a homeless person to a rich philanthropist.

The trial is conducted as a collective exercise: while the performers deliver their testimonies, they will respond to any question the audience has. You freely take the position of accusation or defence, based on your convictions and the course of the proceedings. Should money be found guilty, it leaves us with a very problematic question: what could be a just sentence?

• Christophe Meierhans is artist-in-residence at Kaaitheater. He has made a mark over the past few years with shows like Some Use for Your Broken Clay Pots and A Hundred Wars to World Peace – of which the outcome lies invariably in the hands of the audience.