Der Schnittchenkauf

Pollesch

I am thinking of writing a text called „Schnittchenkauf“ [Buying sarnies] in response to Brecht’s „Messingkauf“[Buying brass]. In the Messingkauf Dialogues, the philosopher character makes demands on theatre, which are now being reclaimed by the latter. “Schnittchenkauf” stands for theory without clash of opinions. Dialogues are easily misunderstood. We like to stick to Brecht’s didactic plays. So far, before this text, we had interviews, in which we could communicate these things nicely. Things the performance didn’t say about the participants’ practices, although I think there was always a lot to be deduced from the show itself. For example, you can easily notice that the first author of our performances is the set designer, which means: the stage set is the prime text. For us, the set designer is no longer a service provider for a pre-existing script. The philosopher dragged onto the stage by Brecht in Messingkauf still believes that director and playwright help write the stage design. I’ve seen directors who, when the stage set was particularly praised after the premiere, were the first to tell you they had a hand in it. When directors kneel down to kiss the hands of some female actor after a premiere, it’s not in a gesture of appreciation, it just means: “You are my creature”. And this is not only due to the terrible draught in these theatres, but also to the inevitable flirtatious buzz hanging in the air in these spaces. I saw a trailer on the internet recently, showing an actor during public rehearsals. And then there was the director of this piece, who, amid some powerful performance, handed him a mic with a gesture that said: “People can’t hear you, and I am here to take care of you, I love you.” It was this friendly gesture that destroyed the actor. Which is, perhaps, the face of love. Directors have often referred to this flirtatious mood hanging in the theatre air, yet this flirt has always been to the detriment of the actors. Whenever we refer to our production practice of having the text develop over time during rehearsals as a function and result of the ideas of the actual cast, we’re asked: “Have you written the text for actor X or for actor Y?” Apparently they only seem to know actors that are on the receiving end.

Artists/Collaborators: Kathrin Angerer, Franz Beil, Tabea Braun, Florian Brückner, Anna Heesen, Rosa Lembeck, Leonard Neumann, Milan Peschel, Denise Potratz, Jan Speckenbach, Martin Wuttke, René Pollesch (Autor/in), Kathrin Angerer (mit), Franz Beil (mit), Rosa Lembeck (mit), Milan Peschel (mit), Martin Wuttke (mit), Jan Speckenbach (Live-Kamera), Leonard Neumann (Bühne), Tabea Braun (Kostüme), Florian Brückner (Licht), Denise Potratz (Licht), Anna Heesen (Dramaturgie)

Next date:

• Date Thursday, 12/December/2024 19:30 bis 22:30 (2 more dates)
• Venue Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz - Großes Haus
• Address Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, 10178 Berlin-Mitte