FINAL INFUSION
LETZTER AUFGUSS
A (partial) teardown by DARUM
a co-production by Schauspiel Leipzig and DARUM
© Rolf Arnold
Leipzig in the near future: After a lively discussion, the visions for the redesign of the historic Matthäikirchhof have been cast in concrete and work can begin. An integrative, multicultural district for the city of the future is to be created, designed with the participation of Leipzig's municipal society - sustainable, oriented towards the common good, forward-looking, lively.
But something is simmering under the foundations of the former Stasi headquarters, which has overshadowed the neighbourhood since the 1980s. Because the unreconciled ghosts of the past, that sit sweating and waiting in the deserted rooms of the former Stasi sauna, are finally going to be heard.
Inspired by the history of the Matthäikirchhof quarter, the Viennese art collective DARUM explores the question of which unreconciled issues and conflicts of the past have an impact on the here and now. As an immersive performance mixing theatre with a multimedia installation, "Final Infusion" gives its audience the opportunity to encounter a wide range of characters from various centuries of Leipzig's history, and in doing so, poses the question of how we want to shape the future in the face of an increasingly heated present.
26 performances
Schauspiel Leipzig
Premiere: May 28th, 2022
Matthäikirchhof Leipzig - Meeting point: Klinger staircase
6:30 p.m. + 9:00 p.m
Further dates:
Matthäikirchhof Leipzig - Meeting point: Klinger staircase
June 3rd, 4th, 14th, 17th, 23rd, 24th, 28th, 30th
July 1st, 6th, 9th and 10th
6:30 p.m. + 9:00 p.m
Reviews:
"It's a totally intense experience, theater up close and personal. You will never see the actors so close, so intensely again. And that doesn't just mean spatially, but also in terms of the effect."
(Wolfgang Schilling, mdr Kultur Radio)
“Well composed, a kind of spiritual archeology emerges. [...] An inkling of the temporary validity of every order quickly wafts through the cellar. [...] Atmosphere is created by intensively played, sometimes almost conspiratorial miniatures, by dark niches and people in ghostly white bathrobes."
(Dimo Rieß, Leipziger Volkszeitung)
“It gets particularly oppressive when a monk tells in the semi-darkness how his faith was considered wrong with the Reformation and the monastery was dissolved. Andreas Keller makes the struggle for truth and conviction credible, above all through voice and presence. All the other actors also succeed well, with accuracy, the reliance on the language and the effect of the proximity, to play their stations captivatingly. One is very close to Dirk Lange, who intertwines gay history with experiences of reunification and post-reunification. When he speaks of the implosion of the utopian moment when the new German-German society turned out to be only German society, that is moving. And then he sings, standing there gestureless and desolate and yet making a big picture, Depeche Mode: "Tonight / And I haven't felt so alive / In years". These historical labyrinths are intense.” (Tobias Prüwer, nachtkritik.de - Top 10 of the week for 3 consecutive weeks)
Duration: approx. 2 hours
Cast & Creatives:
Directed by: Victoria Halper & Kai Krösche Written by & sound design by: Kai Krösche Stage & costumes: Matthew Krische Videos: Victoria Halper Dramaturgy & interviews: Laura Andreß Research: Victoria Halper & Laura Andreß Lighting: Veit-Rüdiger Griess, Thilo Stolle Video technician: Daniel Graumüller Sound technician: Udo Schulz Assistant director: Jule Franzen Directing and dramaturgy internship: Marla Wiederhold Stage design assistant: Sabine Born Costume design assistant: Helene Subklew Stage and costume internship: Mira Lu Haselow Dramaturgy (Schauspiel Leipzig): Tosten Buß
With: Wenzel Banneyer, Thomas Braungardt, Denis Grafe, Sonja Isemer, Eidin Jalali, Andreas Keller, Dirk Lange, Markus Lerch, Christoph Müller, Michael Pempelforth and Teresa Schergaut
With the kind support of the City of Leipzig, General Administration Department, Administrative Accommodation Unit, Matthäikirchhof site.
Press & Reviews (in German):
nachtkritik.de -- Kritik: "Gespenster in der Sauna" von Tobias Prüwer
Leipziger Volkszeitung - Kritik: "Geistersauna"
mdr Kultur - Radiobeitrag: "Theater in der Stasi-Sauna"
Radio Corax - Interview/Podcast: "Letzter Aufguss"
© Rolf Arnold