On January 20 and 21, the Thomas Bernhard Institute, in cooperation with the Department of Scenography of the Mozarteum University, presented Philoktet by Heiner Müller, Gaia in a version by Till Ernecke and The Bacchae by Euripides, three directorial works on the theme of classical music at the Theater im KunstQuartier.
With Elfriede Jelinek's "Am Königsweg", the Thomas Bernhard Institute dealt with right-wing populism, the disastrous political practice of Donald Trump and the helplessness of a society that cannot find an answer to the explosive spread of contempt for democracy and violence. The production was a cooperation with Freeszfe Budapest, in German, Hungarian and English.
Project management: Volker Lösch, Christoph Lepschy
With acting & directing students from Budapest and Salzburg
Directors: Antal Bálint, Bona Dyssou, Volker Lösch, Ádám Nyári, Henry Schlage
Assistant directors: Anna Szepes, Laura Trauner
Dramaturgy: Christoph Lepschy
Costumes: Amrei Monika Fürst, Sophia Marlen Esterer, Christina Winkler
About the production
Jelinek's textual surfaces oscillated between tragedy and the grotesque, pathos and vulgarity, and painted a picture of a political-financial-capitalist complex that is morally at its end, but nevertheless
nevertheless comes to power with force and endangers fundamental democratic values.
The participating students from Austria and Hungary complemented the play with personal texts and gave insight into different experiences and observations related to the dynamic developments of right-wing populism in Europe and the current political situation in Austria and Hungary.
"When 19 angry young people roar and march jaggedly as a flag-waving mob, it leaves goosebumps. [...] A very special evening that was celebrated with a standing ovation at the premiere on 3 March 2023."
— Elisabeth Pichler, Dorfzeitung
- (Preview) Ein Theater enttarnt brisante Politik (SN, 2. März 2023):
https://www.sn.at/salzburg/kultur/ein-theater-enttarnt-brisante-politik-134865397 - Der Königsweg ist ein Holzweg und ein Kreuzweg (Drehpunkt Kultur, 6. März 2023):
http://www.drehpunktkultur.at/index.php/auf-den-buehnen/theater-kabarett/16705-der-koenigsweg-ist-ein-holzweg-und-ein-kreuzweg -
„Am Königsweg / On the royal road" (Dorfzeitung, 11. März 2023):
https://dorfzeitung.com/archive/99322
Premiere
3 March 2023 at 19:30
Further performance
4 March 2023 at 19:30
Theatre in the KunstQuartier
With: Bálint Antal, Claudia Benkő, Maité Dárdano, Bona Dyssou, Ben Engelgeer, Lenz Farkas, Lisbet Hampe, Emese Kárász, Amadeus König, Joseph Lang, Lili Walters, Hongji Liu, Valerie Martin, Ádám Nyári, Baris Özbük, Henry Schlage, Jakab Sebestény, Elianne Stroomer, István Szacsvai, Blanka Szekeres, Adrian Weinek