An Evening Dedicated to Elfriede Jelinek

On the eve of her 80th birthday, an all-star ensemble from the Münchner Kammerspiele gathers—all of them Jelinek specialists who, over the past three decades and under various artistic directors, have premiered her plays on this stage: “In the Alps” (world premiere 2002, directed by Christoph Marthaler), “Ulrike Maria Stuart” (2007, directed by Jossi Wieler), “Rechnitz (The Strangling Angel)” (world premiere 2008, directed by Jossi Wieler), “Winter Journey” (world premiere 2011, directed by Johan Simons), “Die Straße. Die Stadt. Der Überfall.” (world premiere 2012, directed by Johan Simons), “Das schweigende Mädchen” (world premiere 2014, directed by Johan Simons), “Wut” (world premiere 2016, directed by Nicolas Stemann), and “Asche” (world premiere 2024, directed by Falk Richter)

She is the master of exploring the present. With perfect pitch—even for every discordant note. Her texts are a welcome challenge. Bold, full of rage, and masterful in language. In 2004, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for the “musical flow of voices and counter-voices.”

After the Jelinek reading and before the discussions and birthday reception, the Schauspielhaus transforms into a movie theater: on the big screen, we’ll show “Elfriede Jelinek – Die Sprache von der Leine lassen” by Claudia Müller, which won the German Film Award (Lola) in 2023 for “Best Documentary Film,” featuring, among others, Elfriede Jelinek, Sandra Hüller, Sophie Rois. The film paints “a complex portrait of a brilliant master of language” (Süddeutsche Zeitung).