|
2003 German Play Production by the Department of
German Theater Group
Soeren Voima: DAS KONTINGENT Regisseur/Director: Manfred Roth, Germany April 28, 29, 30, at 7:30 pm Memorial Union Play Circle, 800 Langdon Street, UW-Madison All performances are free and open to the public. The director will offer a pre-play introduction in English every night of the performance at 6:45 pm in the Play Circle, and there will be an opportunity for questions and discussion after the performance. Some knowledge of German is useful, but not essential program notes and a basic level of translation integrated into the play are intended to make it accessible to non-German-speaking audience members.
This year's German-language play is an example of current European political theater, staged by a renowned guest director from Germany. Written by a theater collective under the pseudonym Soeren Voima, DAS KONTINGENT was received with acclaim upon its German premiere in 2000 and generated lively discussion. The play "updates" the classical tradition of the "learning play" as practiced by Bertolt Brecht and presents a "case" in a fictitious court of law in a world of the future at mid-21st century: As a successor to the UN security troops in the future, DAS KONTINGENT is responsible for safeguarding international human rights. This task generates conflicts on a number of levels: between rights and justice, individual help and the charge of the team, emotional sympathy and disciplined insight. These conflicts are presented as "model" constellations. The staging is both abstract and vivid, combining the epic with elements of tragedy. The play appeals to spectators to think through the contradictions presented without offering simple solutions |