The German-British collective helps itself to a number of themes from the work of Oscar Wilde. Above all, the narcissist’s split personality – the image onto which Dorian Gray delegates all his negative characteristics, so that he can maintain his ideal image of himself. From this starting point, Gob Squad unleash a myriad variety of ideas and brilliant associations to create what is perhaps their most personal and honest show to date. Together with locally recruited performers, they reflect on truth and illusion in art and on the role of the human body within the capitalist logic of exploitation. The production explores ageing, including their own, conventional notions of beauty and societal roles, selflove and obsession with selfies, gender and identity, and last but not least, the beauty of the art of ikebana as an expression of cultural wealth.

SUBSEQUENT TALKS WITH THE AUDIENCE
after the performance on November 5, 2018, 10:30 pm
expert talks with Gob Squad and Prof. Dr. Nina Degele (sociologist, Uni Freiburg), moderation Christa Hohmann (Pathos München, dg). Curated by Dramaturgische Gesellschaft.

AND
after the performance on November 6, 12:00 pm
expert talks with Gob Squad and Prof. Dr. Paula-Irene Villa (sociologist, LMU Munich), moderation Christa Hohmann (Pathos München, dg). Curated by Dramaturgische Gesellschaft.

PERFORMANCE Johanna Freiburg, Sean Patten, Sharon Smith, Berit Stumpf, Sarah Thom, Bastian Trost, Simon Will und lokale Gäste CONCEPT AND DIRECTORS Gob Squad SOUNDDESIGN Sebastian Bark, Jeff McGrory VIDEODESIGN Miles Chalcraft COSTUME DESIGN Ingken Benesch SET REALISATION Lena Mody LIGHT DESIGN AND TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Chris Umney DRAMATURGY AND PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT Christina Runge ARTISTIC ASSISTANT Mat Hand COSTUME ASSISTANT Claudia Gali SET REALISATION ASSISTANT Julia Buntzel PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Ben Mohai DIRECTING INTERN Patty Kim, Amina Nouns GOB SQUAD MANAGEMENT Eva Hartmann TOUR MANAGEMENT Mat Hand UK PRODUCER Ayla Suveren

Production by Gob Squad and HAU Hebbel am Ufer Berlin. Developed with the support of Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles, CA. In colloboration with Münchner Kammerspiele, Schauspiel Leipzig, Wiesbaden Biennale, Slaughterhouse Theater Bern, LIFT London, Brighton Festival and Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts.An
Imagine 2020 (2.0) project, supported by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union and the Arts Council England. Funded by the State of Berlin, Senate Department for Culture and Europe. Gob Squad Arts Collective is receiving institutional funding as part of the concept funding period 2015 – 2019 from the State of Berlin, Senate Department for Culture and Europe.

In the context of the festival “ Politik im Freien Theater ” / November 1 to 11, 2018