#schaubuhne

[clementine-kruczynski123]

[theatergesehen]

Shadow (Eurydice Speaks), Schaubuhne Berlin

Director: Katie Mitchell

[katefm2807]

Different girls same present. #christmas #christmas2015 #presents #christmaspresent #larseidinger #schaubuhne #theater #instapic #instamoment #instagram

[wherearethesehearts]

A week in theatre -

Now would be a good time to recap what I've seen since Ballyturk and Comedy of Errors - when I should be doing homework! Yeah, let's go with that.

A week ago today, I went with BADA to The King's Head, a lovely (albeit cramped and horrifyingly warm) black box space in the back of a pub to see Autobahn by Neil LaBute.

...

Everyone always says, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

SO, moving on - the play I saw last night! I saw Enemy of the People, an adaptation of the Henrik Ibsen play of the same name. It was performed at the Barbican Theatre by Schaubühne Berlin, directed by Thomas Ostermeier, one of the most famous directors in Europe at this time. The show was two and a half hours long with no intermission and was entirely in German with English surtitles, so I didn't know what to expect going in.

This was a truly thought-provoking, transformative piece of theatre. I walked out of the Barbican thinking "I am SO LUCKY to be here right now." When am I ever going to get the chance to see theatre like this again? Obviously, my ideal life would be jet-setting across the world, seeing the best shows by the best directors around the globe, but that might not happen. The fact that I get to see shows like this one is incredible.

The director and company brilliantly brought Ibsen's morality play into the context of a modern, media-obsessed, environmentally negligent and politically corrupt world. The actors gave amazing performances, though I was spending plenty of time reading the surtitles. The scenic design was incredible and I found the sound design and use of live music to be really moving (although that was a point of contention with one of my friends, who found it out-of-place).

I think what was really amazing about the piece was that I can only describe it as "mixed media." Sure, it was a play - but it wasn't just a play. It was more of a performance art piece that borrowed dramatic conventions. It was a concert, a visual art piece, a political protest, a poetry slam - all tied together by Ibsen, a sort of looming, moralistic grandfather who oversees the whole production.

London people, I can't recommend this production highly enough. Truly a moving, thought-provoking piece of work. At one point, the lights come up on the audience and the characters engage the audience in political debate. This may seem contrived, but it was just so well done. At one point, the debate amongst audience members even got heated, with several theatre goers shouting about Scottish independence at other audience members across the huge auditorium.

A truly unique experience, and one I'm still thinking about and will be thinking about for a long time as I go on to direct and act.

[avmarchitect]

1926-1928 Theatre Schaubühne at Lehniner Platz Architect: Erich Mendelsohn