Photos: MRS. STERN WANDERS THE PRUSSIAN STATE LIBRARY Opens at 59E59 Theaters

Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library, presented by Luna Stage and Richard Jordan Productions with Traverse Theatre, has opened at 59E59 Theaters. Written by Jenny Lyn Bader and directed by Ari Laura Kreith, the drama will run through October 25 in Theater A. See photos from opening night!

Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library returns to New York following two sold-out Off Broadway engagements, including its acclaimed 2024 run at 59E59 Theaters, before transferring to an extended engagement at WP Theater. It will return to 59E59 Theaters from its European premiere at the Traverse Theatre as part of the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe.

Set in 1933 Berlin, with martial law in effect and political activism having become a capital crime, the production follows a young Gestapo officer who arrests a philosophy graduate student, whose interrogation will endanger them both. Inspired by the real life arrest of Hannah Arendt, Jenny Lyn Bader's thrilling and timely new play illuminates the struggle for human connection and perseverance in even the darkest of times. 

The production reunites the original cast, including Ella Kaille, Brett Temple, Drew Hirschfield, and Daniel Adam Cantor. The creative team includes Scenic Designer Lauren Helpern, Lighting Designer Zachary Connell, Costume Designer Deborah Caney, and Sound Designer Greg Scalera.

Photo credit: Mike Mullan Photography