The Terminator is coming!

When there’s banging, hissing, and bubbling—and the audience can barely stay in their seats in the large lecture hall of Building Z IV in Zittau, stunned and laughing—it’s time once again for the traditional Chemistry Christmas Show Lecture.

This year, on December 12, the audience witnessed the fusion of two action classics that are hard to beat in terms of excitement. The story is about two lovers, Grace and AJ. But AJ suddenly disappears. There’s no time for boredom, though, because the Terminator happens to land in Upper Lusatia, where he meets Grace. Meanwhile, AJ and Grace’s father, Harry, must fly into space to destroy an asteroid threatening Earth. After a series of spectacular, action-packed adventures, the asteroid is finally destroyed thanks to the Terminator’s detonation, and Zittau is saved! The happy ending is made perfect by the wedding of AJ and Grace, officiated by the Rector.

“Terminator” and “Armageddon” in one “chemical blend”! A well-rounded production—and Matthias Jeschke, the main organizer, agrees. The demonstration lecture has been held in this format since 2004, and since 2015 he has been organizing the “chemical play,” which is a theatrical production with a real script. The whole thing is paired with impressive demonstration experiments that, combined with plenty of wit and humor, delight young and old alike.

A new script is written every year, with Matthias Jeschke at the helm. He participates with enthusiasm every year, as does the entire team behind the lecture-show. Matthias Jeschke is convinced that without the personal commitment of everyone involved, the performance would be unthinkable. The team is diverse and changes every year. This time, it consisted of a mix of students, staff members, alumni, and representatives from the university administration.

From the initial idea to the performance—how does that actually work? “Initial discussions usually begin right after the previous demonstration lecture,” explains Matthias Jeschke. This is followed by the brainstorming phase and the writing of the script by him. A first rough draft of the performance is finalized before the start of each winter semester. Preparations for the experiments—including preliminary video shoots and photo shoots—begin in early October. Things get really exciting the weekend before the performance, when the cast rehearses the script.

It’s a lot of work, but also a lot of fun, as the Rector and the Chancellor of the HSZG can confirm. Karin Hollstein has been involved since 2015; for the Rector, this year marked his first time participating. “The collaboration was relaxed, very constructive, and straightforward. Both were on site over the weekend for brief rehearsals of their respective scenes,” says Matthias Jeschke, pleased with the university leadership’s involvement.

Are there already plans for next year? “After the show lecture is before the show lecture,” smiles the main organizer, wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season.