Political theater – Tut finally something against the suffering of the world! – Süddeutsche.de

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The activists from the Center for Political Beauty have made great political actions. Now follows Theater.

First of all, to calm the tempers: No, was killed no animals in the Dortmund Zoo on Saturday part of the theater. The so sweet as popular Jaguar Baby Raja enjoys still of his earthly existence, although on the facade of the theater is still hanging the poster calling for his assassination: “Raja must die” The Berlin artist collective Center for Political Beauty (ZPS), led by Philipp Ruch had announced to move to the premiere of his first play “2099″ in the Dortmund Zoo and shoot the animal baby. The activists from the ZPS had to have shortly before the premiere addition to known the two Zwergagutis and three pygmy marmosets in their possession, which were stolen in August from the Dortmund Zoo. At the premiere of her piece, so the announcement, they wanted to present them on stage – whereupon the presenting drama Dortmund “as surprised as angry” distanced himself from the matter and PR-prone threatened to cancel the premiere, where appropriate. . A true Affentheater

You mean it very seriously with their mission to establish art as a “fifth power in the state”

But effective: Animal rights activists excited to newspapers reported that television came. As you can see it again as soon as animals are threatened, people are touched and outraged, as they go to the barricades. But what about the Kriegsnotleidenden and dying in Syria? Why we not whine on? “Even the Syrians is a mammal that is threatened with extinction,” it says in a sort of letter of confession of ZPS. The fake call for the killing of Panther babies as “evocative character to humanity” was so far a successful staging. It fits into a series of actions that the ZPS fulfill his self-claim, a “stormtrooper establishing moral beauty, poetry and political human Liberality” to be – namely “the protection of mankind”. Against political inaction, indifference, ignorance.

The ZPS is serious about its mission, it conceives and establishes art as a “fifth power in the state.” In a sensational action it has recently converted the bodies of two drowned refugees from Italy to Berlin and buried there in cemeteries blank (“The dead come”). Followers of ZPS lifted additionally in a “march of the willing” in front of the Chancellery symbolic refugee graves.

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So now the first “real” theater of ZPS, premiered at present – under the artistic director Kay Voges – pretty hip spectacle Dortmund. “2099″ acts as a collective production, neither the author nor the director are especially recognized. It is assumed that the ZPS has Chefdenker and doctorate philosopher Philipp Ruch wrote and directed the text. One who has no idea of ​​theater – which can be seen as simple, as the evening is staged and designed as a science fiction plot. The all the more know about the mistakes committed by (of mankind) history; about Facts Tote – which gets you around the ears hewn. Not that you would from an art Aktionsbündnis as the ZPS great spectacle awaits, its strengths lie outside the proscenium stage. But remember a bit more of doubts, questions, the cynical and ironic show effects and playful stage inventions of Christoph Schlingensief to whom not a few things to the ZPS, should have been already – apart from the fact that the piece more of a pamphlet is for a drama .

In “2099″ come four “philosophers” from the eponymous year in the now time to give us moral and historical to blow the march, she called Morpheus (Christoph Jöde), Grotius (Björn Gabriel), Johann (Uwe Schmieder) and Hercules (Sebastian Kuschmann). They wear mourning clothes and blackened faces – recognition typical ZPS war paint -, race and roar around a lot. Announced were originally five of them, including a woman, a Holocaust survivor, but that’s probably fallen by the wayside, which is why the good ninety minute moral Wutpredigt unsympathetic enough, is now a purely male thing. 2099 you will be there hopefully

The four wise men from the land of the future will know what will be on us today in the annals. “Historians designate your time, the era from 1989 to 2032, as the aphilotimische era, from the ancient Greek term aphilotimia: Ehrvergessenheit “. The sitting. They have come to us – quite down from the lectern and pulpit with index finger at the audience – to read the riot act. But also to warn: “You are at the dawn of the worst century of world history.” More Holocaust will come. In China, for example, a Hao Kim Helian, “the greatest mass murderer of all time, 330 million deaths” raises. In Africa Victor Adschemba: 42 million. “I wish I were in your spot in history,” Morpheus says imploringly. “It would be so easy. A league of democracies against all dictatorships. Now that you have, you can start it!”

“Do something!” – That’s the appeal to this evening. Do not look at! Defend the humanism! “Until 2032, more than 600 million people from hunger, poverty and war to die,” says Hercules. Strenger Blick ins affected silent parquet. “Stirs nothing,” he stated bitterly. “Do I perhaps say it again: 600 million people 50 000. deaths every day!.” 50 000. that we could have prevented, or at least one – that’s the appeal. But even the prosecution. Because that’s this evening ultimately: a tribunal. A reprimand. A vorverlegtes Last Judgment of erzengelhaftem Fury. The know everything up there better and pray balmy affluent subscribers our sin and Unterlassungstatregister before: “.? Never before had people so much time, wealth and luxury What you do with it”

Theatrical, the whole is a large Disappointment: didactic, didactic, condescending

Yes, because you can only enter think that’re right. What did you do during the genocide of the Bosnians? What have you been told you in Rwanda? Good question. Great question. The effect: A guilty conscience adjusts itself. The ZPS-theater is to what Philipp Ruch even “moral high pressure chamber” called. Eng is in it and quite oppressive. Much air to think but there is not. Had we still interpret alienation effects in the political theater of Bertolt Brecht and myself conclusions – from characters and stories! – Pull, you can nod with rumbling in the stomach the humanistic Agitprop of ZPS actually. At most feel helpless. Or angry that they contemptuously throwing jackets and clothing into the stalls – where we have yet donated to the refugees at the stations. It turns no ‘wow’ factor a, just a grueling Oh-yes-effect.

Whether the discomfort that it arises as a quality is to be added to the evening or rather comes from the fact that morally crass in hostage is taken, with the simplest means, everyone has to make with yourself. Theatrical any event the evening is a great disappointment: didactic, didactic, condescendingly. Agitatorisches participatory theater without detonators. An enterprising lady from row two will be invited to attend an oath to the humanism corpse images flicker across the stage, through the portal makes a digital news ticker. Only after an hour at all the view opens onto the stage, a rotary plywood structure with stairs and walls to Videofilmbespielung. Previously a barrel bomb will be built, insignia for the “collapse of civilization of the 21st century.”

Wow, what Philipp Ruch trusts the theater. He writes theater is more important than most other art forms: “… Theater can make thinking possible There is no better social space for reflection as the theater.” Yes! Now he would have to understand it to use only get better.