The long-awaited day is approaching. Soon, Lette will present his life’s work in front of hundreds of people at an important conference. However, before this significant event, he notices that something is different. Instead of Lette, someone else is frequently called into the boss’s office. Laughter can be heard from there. When Lette meets people in the corridor, they avoid eye contact. What is happening? The reason is very simple.

The play “The Ugly One” by renowned German playwright Marius von Mayenburg premiered in 2007 at the Schaubühne Theatre in Berlin. Beneath its light humor, the text examines the undercurrents and ideals of contemporary society.

“In a positivity society, everything becomes a commodity that needs to be displayed in order to exist at all /—/. There is no longer any value in that which exists within itself. Things only acquire value when they are looked at.”

Byung-Chul Han, “The Transparency Society”