The best thing about theater has to be the feeling of being swept along with the action in real time. And despite arts venues being closed, you won’t have to go without your drama fix thanks to Theatertreffen, which is back on 13.05.2021 with a second digital edition. For the program, the Berliner Festspielehas chosen ten productions from renowned theaters in Germany, Austria and Switzerland that break new ground in more ways than one. In Name Her. Eine Suche nach den Frauen+, Marie Schleef tackles the underappreciation of female role models by bringing important women to life in front of a stage set reminiscent of a game show. The work incorporates the work of sociologist Flora Tristan and researcher Rosalind Franklin, who until now have received little attention in the history books. Meanwhile Christopher Rüping reimagines Jean-Luc Lagarce’s classic play It’s Only the End of the World to address pressing contemporary issues such as classism, urban-rural disparities and homophobia. From Burgtheater Wien comes writer Anna Gmeyner’s Automatenbüffet. The play was considered degenerate during the Nazi regime, while Gmeyer – a Jewish literary outsider – was herself forced to emigrate to England. The play is staged in front of beer fridges, making the story of gender tensions highly surreal.
In addition to the streams, the ten-day program also features projects and discussions as part of Stückemarkt, which brings together international voices from the theater world. Influenced by Living Theatre – a radical form that unites life and art – the line-up of talks, lectures and films considers how theater can adopt political concerns. While Theatertreffen’s leap into the digital world is forced by the circumstances, the program proves how online formats can increase diversity, sustainability, accessibility and political awareness – not least with the UnBoxing Stagesseries, which explores the potential of digital formats in theater. Discourse meets drama – with thought-provoking results.
Text: Hanna Komornitzyk / Photos: Maria Stuart & Der Zauberberg © Arno Declair; NAME HER. Eine Suche nach den Frauen+ © Hendrik Lietmann
Theatertreffen (13–24.05.2021) takes place digitally. The streams are free of charge, with a voluntary contribution to online cultural initiatives welcomed.
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