A Play by Anka Herbut
A contemporary dystopian financial thriller. — Cinematic images and a shaking sound challenge the limits of our perception
Following his spectacular installation “Respublika”, rising Polish star Łukasz Twarkowski creates another of his masterful dramatic worlds poised between film and stage.
Working with the playwright Anka Herbut, Twarkowski tackles the bizarre story of the collapse of the Munich financial service provider Wirecard. The biggest financial scandal in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany revolves around virtual billions in turnover and the seductive fantasy of a world-class German tech giant which ultimately sought to play in the Champions League of Silicon Valley. The play with different levels of reality became a frequently used motif in utopian-fantastic stories in the 1960s. Daniel F. Galouye had already foreseen a “world on the wire” in his novel “Simulacron - 3”, first published in the USA in 1964: The struggle of the individual against a seemingly omnipotent faceless system that makes the individuals living within it dance like puppets on a wire. A political parable of timeless validity that can be found in film adaptations of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s “World on a Wire” and “Starship Enterprise - The Next Generation”, among others, as well as in the film trilogy “Matrix” made between 1999 and 2003. Now that artificial intelligence increasingly determines all areas of life, these dystopian visions of the future are gaining in topicality.
On the ground of this philosophical mind game of fictional existence and reality of the fantastic literature of the 1960s, Łukasz Twarkowski and his team condense the Munich thriller about Wirecard into a completely new story. A rousing evening of theatre about the limits of our perception.
Awarded with the German theatre prize DER FAUST in the category “Sound and Media”. More info HERE.
In preparation for this production, a research residency took place in Athens in collaboration with the Onassis Stegi. This research residency was funded by the European Union in the programme Culture Moves Europe, implemented by the Goethe-Institut.
This work was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.
- With Sebastian Brandes, Tanya Kargaeva, Elias Krischke, Anna Gesa-Raija Lappe, Alina Sokhna M’Baye, Stefan Merki, Annette Paulmann, Leoni Schulz, Daniel Wagner
- Off-Voice Walter Hess
- DeepfakeMarsalek Martin Weigel
- Directed by Łukasz Twarkowski
- Author Anka Herbut
- Stage Design Fabien Lédé
- Costume Svenja Gassen
- Music Lubomir Grzelak
- Live Camera Johanna Seggelke, Paula Tschira, Daphne Chatzopoulos
- Video Design Jakub Lech
- Dramaturge Anka Herbut, Caroline Schlockwerder
- Choreographe Paweł Sakowicz
- Sound Paolo Mariangeli, Ulrich Treutwein, Thomas Schlienger
- Lighting Design Maximilian Kraußmüller
- Lighting-Design Eugenijus Sabaliauskas
- Video Leo Algrang, Jens Baßfeld, Jake Witlen, Zara Lazarevic
- Directing Assistant Melina Dressler
- Stage Design Assistant Nikolai Kuchin
- Costume Design Assistant Katharina Achterkamp
- Video Assistant Adam Zduńczyk
- Stage manager Julia Edelmann
- Stage Management Stefanie Rendtorff
- Prompter Daphne Chatzopoulos
- Directing Intern Josh Menges
- Stage Design Intern Josephine von Collas, Jule Kortus, Surya Luedcke
- Translation Andreas Volk
- Julia Kawka
- Surtitles Agentur SprachSpiel - Yvonne Griesel
- Technical Production Management Adrian Bette
- Artistic Production Management Daniela Schroll
- Translation Consulting Daphne Chatzopoulos
- Stage Master Marcel Homack
- Lighting Felix Adams, Diana Dorn
- Make-Up Thomas Opatz, Raimund Richar-Vetter, Steffen Roßmanith
- Costumes Pavla Engelhardtova, Lotta Goeden, Iroha Kaneshiro, Marija Ružić
- Props Anette Schultheiss, Sabine Schutzbach
- Construction Special Effects Lighting Sebastien Lachenmaier, Stefan Schmid, Horst Weißmann
- Carpentry Wolfgang Mechmann, Sebastian Nebe, Josef Piechatzek, Hannes Zippert
- Metalworkers Jürgen Goudenhooft, Friedrich Würzhuber
- Decoration Anja Gebauer, Tobias Herzog, Maria Hörger, Lisann Öttl
- Scenic Painting Evi Eschenbach, Renée Nakad
Trailer
Digital introduction
Press reviews
“The audience is also torn between theater and film. (…) Two camerawomen follow the employees of dazzling mediocrity at every turn, even into the rooms and corridors behind them. Their shots are shown as grand cinema on the projection screen above as grandly staged images in Imax format and in real time.
”(…) and indeed the soundscape (Lubomir Grzelak) switches to full blast in between. The rows of seats vibrate and the beats pulsate through your guts while the lights flicker.”
“(…) this installation, bombastically set up on many scenic and virtual levels, wants to say more than a word about the financial scandal.”
Dates & Tickets
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Fri 21.11. 7:30 – 10:20 pmBack on the schedule
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Sun 23.11. 7:30 – 10:20 pm
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Mon 24.11. 7:30 – 10:20 pm
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Thu 27.11. 7:30 – 10:20 pm
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Fri 28.11. 7:30 – 10:20 pm
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Sun 30.11. 7:30 – 10:20 pm
- Therese-Giehse-Halle
- World premiere
- Opening night: 19.11.2023
- 2 hours 50 minutes with intermission
- English surtitles
- Strobe effects, loud music
- Thu-Sat: 25€, Sun-Mi 20€, under 30 years: 10€