Play in Essen: What does resistance really mean?

When the motto for the 2012/2013 season was determined in Theatre Essen, the theatre makers in director Christian Tombeil's Team couldn't possibly know that a revolutionary wave would take place in almost all North African states. The demand for protest and being “against” will be the topic of the brandnew production of “The Aesthetics of Resistance”.

 

The Arab spring wave took over the Middle East and has since been keeping the International Security Council on its toes. One year later, Syria is still experiencing the most bloody war between the autocratic government and parts of the population that are seeking freedom. In Egypt, the “old guard” meanwhile sneaks back into office. Who takes the population's free will and resistance seriously? What are the conditions for resistance? How much is each single person willing to do for it? What do we have to do with it in Germany or in the Ruhr area respectively?

Berlin-based director Thomas Krupa was the first to dramatise the German Ulysses to do some research on these questions. Peter Weiss convolut is perfectly suitable for this matter. The premiere took place at the Grillo theatre in Essen on 24^th May. It seems to cater to a transatlantic and European need of our time. OCCUPY, the Pirate Party, Anonymous, digital sharing and eGovernment could be the keys to something new that has to be fought through beyond the angry bourgeoisie.

 

Text: Boris Alexander Knop