Theatre
Life and Times – Episodes 1-5
Nature Theater of Oklahoma, New York
German premiere
Life and Times – Episode 1 © Reinhard Werner / Burgtheater Wien
There is a moment in theatre when concentration changes to a state of trance, boredom changes to delirium, attention to thrill. Such extreme experiences of time intensively lived, seldom felt in everyday life, explain the magic of very long theatre shows. The marathon guest performance by the New York collective Nature Theater of Oklahoma currently adds up to at least 13, including episode 6 even 15 hours – and a suitable overdose of theatre. “Life and Times” is a monumental epic and an invitation to identification. Narrative time becomes real time and the average American life becomes one’s own experience. In their own words, the New York performers have devoted themselves to “putting ourselves in impossible situations, and working from out of our own ignorance and unease. We strive to create an unsettling live situation that demands total presence from everyone in the room.” It’s a demand made on the audience, and a challenge too. A thrill is guaranteed. Magic will happen.
Conceived and directed by Pavol Liska, Kelly Copper
From a telephone conversation with Kristin Worrall
Music Robert M. Johanson (Episodes 1, 2, 3&4, 4.5), Julie LaMendola (Episode 2), Daniel Gower (Episodes 3–5)
Design by Peter Nigrini
Dramaturge Florian Malzacher (Episodes 1-4)
Production manager Dany Naierman
Audio engineer Daniel Gower
Project manager and chorus director Nora Hertlein (Episode 2)
With:
Ilan Bachrach, Asli Bulbul, Elisabeth Conner, Gabel Eiben, Daniel Gower, Anne Gridley, Nora Hertlein, Robert M. Johanson, Matthew Korahais, Julie LaMendola, Kristin Worrall
“Das große Nature Theater of Oklahoma ruft Euch!” is a joint project of HAU Hebbel am Ufer and Berliner Festspiele / Foreign Affairs, funded by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds.
Episode 1-4 are productions of Nature Theater of Oklahoma, Burgtheater Wien. Episode 1 in co-production with Kampnagel Hamburg, Kaaitheater (Brussels), Théâtre de la Ville (Paris), Festival De Internationale Keuze (Rotterdam) and Wexner Center for the Arts / Ohio State University with support from The MAP Fund, a programme of Creative Capital, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation.
Episode 2 in co-production with Kampnagel Hamburg, Festival d’Avignon, Théâtre de la Ville (Paris), Kaaitheater (Brussels) and Rosas (Brussels) with funding by the The New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Theater Pilot, with lead funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Episodes 3&4 in co-production with Kampnagel Hamburg, Kaaitheater (Brussels), Festival De Internationale Keuze (Rotterdam) and Künstlerhaus Mousonturm (Frankfurt am Main).
Episodes 4.5&5 is a production of Nature Theater of Oklahoma, in co-production with Berliner Festspiele / Foreign Affairs, HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin) and Norfolk and Norwich Festival and French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) as part of the Crossing the Line Festival 2013