WER IST WER

A border guard, a photojournalist, a clergyman, a nurse, a spy, a music manager, a business agent, an innkeeper: the game experience centers on the lives of these characters, played on video by as many actors.

In a large archive dominated by the rules of the state, players will have to uncover clues, solve puzzles, and evaluate the loyalty of their 9 fellow citizens.

“Wer Ist Wer” (“Who’s Who”) is how Erich Mielke summarized the mission of the Stasi, the East German ministry he led for more than 30 years and “the largest and most impenetrable security service human history has ever known.” In the game: the Schloss.

The escape room features a number of unconventional elements for the game genre: in addition to the actors on video, the extended duration of 90 minutes, the presence of 4 different endings, and an automatic hint system in the form of Schloss-branded “commercials” made through mash-ups of archival materials from various eras and places.

First staged at the Polo del ‘900 in Turin (Nov. 10 – Dec. 15, 2019), WER IST WER was also hosted by the Castel dei Mondi Festival in Andria in September 2020.

In July 2020, during the COVID pandemic, the Triennale Milano Teatro stage hosted WER IST WER Z, a live-streamed version of the escape room: connected live on Zoom with a perfomer, the spectator-players were able to enjoy the experience from their own homes.