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Content Advisory for Woyzeck
Part of the mission of the School of Theatre is to provide meaningful cultural and entertainment experiences for the university and the people of East Texas. In doing so with our Mainstage productions, we most frequently turn to widely recognized writers of the past and present, and because they tell the stories of people in conflict—stories that are, in a word, dramatic—their words and works are usually challenging and controversial.
We never seek to offend, but we recognize that people of various sensibilities and sensitivities might choose to avoid some of the language, situations and behaviors that some of these plays use or depict.
For this reason, we offer the following as a source of information, and we resolve here to make a good-faith effort to let patrons, parents and teachers know about the material in our Mainstage productions we believe is most likely to be of concern.
SYNOPSIS: Woyzeck is a poor soldier who tries to provide for his family by subjecting himself to scientific experimentation. But his restrictive diet and his jealousy lead to delusions and ultimately to violence.
LANGUAGE: Variations on the word “piss” are used several times. Other language that might offend some spectators would include “ass,” “bastard,” “bitch” (and “son-of-a-bitch”), “slut,” and “whore.” A male character describes a woman as a “piece.” “Damn” also appears several times, including in the exclamation, “Devil damn you, God.”
RELIGION/CULTURE: The title character is a self-proclaimed athiest (although he often cites scripture). There are also moments of racial stereotyping, especially about Jews.
SMOKING AND DRINKING: Several scenes are set at an inn, and there is some drinking of beer and schnapps. Indeed, the title character gets very drunk in one scene.
NUDITY AND SEXUAL CONTENT: There is no nudity in the play (one or more male characters may appear shirtless). The female lead, Marie, is Woyzeck’s common-law wife, and there is some discussion about their child’s illegitimacy. While it is never made explicit, Marie is clearly a prostitute, and Woyzeck’s romantic rival brags about his sexual superiority relative to the title character.
VIOLENCE: There is considerable violence in the play, including the enactment of a knife murder. There is also what amounts to a bar fight, along with several incidents of lesser violence.
RATING: If it were a movie, Woyzeck would be rated PG-13.