Geschlossene Gesellschaft

Inèz, Estelle and Garcin can only guess as to why they ended up here – in a room somewhere beyond life, without windows or mirrors, and with no way of switching off the light. Surrounded by tower-high walls, their only other contact is with a bizarre valet. Outside? There is no outside. Is this the ultimate hell?

Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialist classic NO EXIT was first performed in Paris in 1944. It is a key work to understanding Sartre’s philosophy of freedom and revolves around themes of captivity, isolation and the altered perception of time that envelops things when the present is extended to an eternity. The play contains a wealth of knowledge that resonates with us, especially as we look back on the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.