World premiere of “Minervas Schatten”: Hartmut Westenberger brings AI and the world of work to the stage

World premiere of “Minervas Schatten”: Hartmut Westenberger brings AI and the world of work to the stage

Scene from “Minervas Schatten” (left to right): Sven Popovici as operations manager Dr. Rolf Molitor, Antje Urbanczyk as IT specialist Celine Mercier, and Hartmut Westenberger as customer advisor Tom Neumann. Photo: Freie Theatergruppe Wiehl (AI-edited).

2026-06-29

On 18 July 2026 the Freie Theatergruppe Wiehl will give the world premiere of its new play “Minervas Schatten” (Minerva’s Shadow) in Nümbrecht-Bierenbachtal. The play opens a discussion of how artificial intelligence, digitalization, and globalization affect the individual and the world of work. It was written by Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Hartmut Westenberger, a member of the THK-AI Research Cluster and professor of computer science at TH Köln on the Gummersbach campus.

Background

The play grew out of Westenberger’s academic work at the Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering and the Cologne Institute for Digital Ecosystems (CIDE), and out of his personal engagement with digital transformation. Where the cluster studies these developments, “Minervas Schatten” translates them into a stage drama. The scene shown above hints at the setting: a company in which management, IT, and customer advisory wrestle with the opportunities and risks of the new technology, with a flip chart in the background listing the keywords risks, opportunities, globalization, digitalization, and AI.

Dates

The world premiere takes place on 18 July 2026 in Nümbrecht-Bierenbachtal. A further performance is planned for 3 October 2026 in Engelskirchen, with additional dates in preparation.

With “Minervas Schatten”, a member of the THK-AI Research Cluster carries the debate about artificial intelligence from the lecture hall to the stage and makes it tangible for a broad audience.