2 actors, 1 Dj, 4 Speakers, 18 neon-lights

Transcription

1 2 actors, 1 Dj, 4 Speakers, 18 neon-lights...wieland puts Büchner s world in the cosmos of Sarah Kane Woyzeck operates at the same heights or depths as the lost and damned stage personnel of the British playwright this tremendous contemporary staging at the height of the European crisis translates Büchner s text into a universal performative language of this day. Frank Raddatz, Co-Publisher Theater der Zeit A Cyprus/Germany Co-Production. Supported by the German Foregin Ministry, Ministry of Culture Cyprus, Goethe-Institut, Theatre Organisation of Cyprus (THOC), Centre for Performing Arts Mitos, Rialto Theatre, Satyrico Theatre.

2 (synopsis) The unfinished, neurotic text of Georg Büchner s Woyzeck, so poetically oriented and constructed, is a laboratory of ideas, images and sounds, full of cries of the human soul. A room of condensed imagination, where suddenly the whole world becomes tidy.

3 (continued) With the recurring fragments and themes of this ever contemporary text, along with the use of different motives and leitmotivs, sounds and atmospheres, over the course of over seven years, Büchner s text became our small laboratory of demiurge: two theatre productions that completed a journey through different spaces, an ongoing publication with a selection of Woyzeck s notes and drafts, and a cinematographic project that is now being constructed.

4 (continued) Woyzeck is a project in progress. A mixture, on the pale surface of a bare space, of theatrical text, stylized visual imagery, everyday textures and objects, 19th century pieces of costumes and props, natural and technical sounds, voices, whispers, techno music and lullabies, sharp fluorescent light and penumbras. A construction of realities from the abyss of our personal and collective memory, grounded always on Büchner s fragmented phrases and words, that with such courage confess in its most nude form the everyday, poor, austere reality, from which only could be born the unusual, the impossible, the preternatural.

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6 a journey through spaces. The crossdisciplinary and international production of Woyzeck (2013) combines elements of live-theatre and acoustic playback work, choreographic movement and stylized, austere visual sequences. Resonating particular strong in Cyprus, which remains a divided country since 1974, Büchner s original play is set to a contemporary context. The story is told alternately by the writer s text (delivered in an elaborate, pre-recorded system of voices to which the two main characters must respond), music and choreographic elements. Dark, dense moments give way to blinding light, leaving no space for the characters to escape. Woyzeck and his wife, Marie, are trapped on a stage of 18 blinking fluorescent neon lights, entangled in their own shadows, their only reference point to the present, the invisible sound.

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8 challenging viewing habits. Our ongoing research focuses on the possibilities for a contemporary translation/development simultaneously for speech, movement, stage and film. It investigates the possibilities of making visible of what lies outside the frame. To make visible what we cannot see, the dark side of the moon

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11 a textual/visual laboratory. Our ongoing analysis of the text of Woyzeck led to various performative and visual explorations of Büchner s work and include a theatre-kinesiology staging [on the nude body of Woyzeck, 2009/2013], an artist residency [Woyzeck for theatre and cinematographic space, 2012], and a cinematographic work in development [Woyzeck. deconstructed, ).

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13 a collision of live-act, DJ, sound installation. In the current theatre production of Woyzeck (2013), the two main characters are entangled within a system of speakers operated by a live Dj, while the set design is a visual trap, consisting of 18 fluorescent neon lights covering the floor and determining Woyzeck s and Marie s paths.

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15 spatial exploration/construction. Several stagings of Woyzeck became an exploration in and outside of designated theatre spaces. From work with the State Theater to site-specific locations and an upcoming cinematographic production (2014 supported by the Goethe-Institut and the German Foreign Ministry), the ongoing engagement with Büchner s text searches to challenge both, the assumed theatrical context as well as the cinematic potential of this fragmented, modern tragedy.

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17 excerpts press / link video. (online links of press upon demand) «Director Achim Wieland puts his mark on the challenging Büchner tragedy Woyzeck ( ) Wieland is daringly staging the seven character plot with only two actors, and his directorial choices highlight the banality of the main character s routine, both in his activities and his relationships. The repetitive movement, the monotonous reciting and slow tedious actions effectively denote the rhythm of this tragic existence, paying tribute to the ultimate tragedy by paving an abstract yet realistic road for its unfolding ( ) The enthusiasm exhumed by audience members, relieved at finally having been offered a production so free from the limitations of what we conceive theatre to be, justifies the extreme directorial choices ( )» Eleni Cosma, Cyprus Mail, Wednesday, March 20th, 2013 (...) «Moving outside of conventional viewing habits, Director Achim Wieland s sketches a bold skeleton in unfolding Büchner s fragmented drama. His players (Marios Ioannou, Elena Kallinkou) dangling in a trap of light in this unusual 2-Character play. Dr. Frank Raddatz, Co-Publisher, Theater der Zeit, June, 2013 «With this restaging, my encounter with the essence of the play shifted. Woyzeck s obsessive love for Marie and her betrayal as the motive were at the centre of the first staging. Now the emphasis is on Woyzeck s silent, persistent rebellion against a set of ethics, on themes of social injustice, on instinct, on the fragility of human existence, human destiny». (...) «To re-think existing work is a blessing it was a pursuit of unanswered questions. Revisiting the text anew, responding with other perspective, trusting more ones instinct from distance. Discovering that the work suddenly is lighter, brighter, clearer, more meaningful, is a gift i will cherish». Director s Interview, Parathiro/Politis, Sunday, May 26th, 2013 «Achim Wieland continued his personal search of pathways through Buchner s text and now a new performance is born ( ) But the (old and new) stagings of Wieland on Woyzeck compose a unified part. His dive is very deep, his thought indeed contemporary. The transformation of a great part of the text into a sound environment is fertile, daring, rewarding». Nona Moleski, Phileleftheros, Sunday 31st of March 2013 video link:

18 direction: Achim Wieland, performers: Marios Ioannou, Elena Kallinicou, dramaturgy/script adaptation: Christina Theodotou, Achim Wieland, sound design: Panos Bartzis, movement coordination: Arianna Markoulides, space design: Sossee Eskidjian Nicolaides, Achim Wieland, lighting design: Giorgos Lazoglou.

19 technical requirement: 18 neon lights (generic office neon lights - can be 2nd hand/used), Minimum 4 Stagelights (600 Watt or above), 2 Speakers, 1 Light Console, 1 Smoke Machine. No requirements for Set. language / subtitles: Main language is Greek with English and German text extracts, music tracks and live-song. SUBTITLES / SURTITLES in English are available. people travelling: Total 5 People (Minimum 4) 2 Protagonists, 1 Live Dj/Sounddesigner, 1 Light Designer, 1 Direction/Production props/equipment travelling from Cyprus: Costumes and small Props All digital Soundequipment used by the Dj (except for speakers and amplifier)

20 Woyzeck! Responsible / Liason Cyprus: Achim Wieland wieland@lookinglately.com Representative / Liason Switzerland: Marlies Lanker fotografen@marlieslanker.ch