Andrea Petković’s autobiographical debut novel, Zwischen Ruhm und Ehre liegt die Nacht, is making the transition from the page to the stage at the Staatstheater Darmstadt, where it premieres on October 17, 2025. The adaptation brings the intense psychological pressures of professional tennis directly into the theatrical world, drawing sharp parallels between the competitive isolation of elite sports and the rigorous demands of the stage.
From the Tennis Court to the Darmstadt Stage
Thomasberger noted that the intense preparation mirrors the grueling rehearsal schedules of theatrical productions, while Huys emphasized the thematic alignment between the author’s introspective voice and dramatic performance.
Actors Tilla Danaylow and Aleksandra Kienitz portray the material on stage, with rehearsals utilizing local tennis facilities like the TEC Darmstadt—Petković’s home club—to anchor the production in athletic reality. Huys met with Petković over coffee to secure the rights for the world premiere, receiving the author’s blessing despite Petković expressing curiosity about how the literary text would translate into a dramatic medium.
The Theatricality of Professional Sport
In interviews discussing the production, Thomasberger and Huys pointed out that modern athletic competition operates much like traditional theater. Meanwhile, players like Naomi Osaka utilize pre-match wardrobe choices to communicate narratives regarding their heritage and venues.
The directors argue that high-level sports broadcasts rely heavily on staging, post-match interviews, and predetermined personas. Conversely, the creative team views intense theatrical end-provisions—such as two-week stretches of 12-hour daily rehearsals leading up to a premiere—as a form of high-performance athleticism requiring strict physical conditioning, nutrition, and sleep discipline.
Behind the Production and Literary Adaption
Unlike conventional sports memoirs ghostwritten to recount a chronological career path, Petković’s text offers a literary exploration of competition, philosophy, and cultural interests. The framing device of the novel—opening with a warning to readers not to accept every tale as a direct factual record—provided a natural bridge for theatrical adaptation, where truth is often reached through stylized representation rather than documentary realism.
The Darmstadt production highlights the shared environment of high ambition and fierce rivalry that unites both elite athletes and professional artists. While Petković’s schedule in Luxembourg around the premiere date leaves her attendance uncertain, the adaptation stands as a unique crossover between sports literature and contemporary German theater.
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