Drama in Deutschland

In Poetics, Aristotle speaks of Dianoia, the play's theme. Its raison d'etre. Why did the playwright choose to write this play? *** In the weeks leading up to my travel, I thought extensively about how I should design my itinerary. The theatre was going to take up about 5 days (cut down to two because of visa delays). What then? I had requested for my return ticket to be booked for ten days after the finale. But, I was undecided about where to travel. I went through many listicles - Must visit small towns of Germany, Historic spots of Germany, Germany and the Third Reich. I needed it to be more than seeing pretty or important or pretty important places. A hectic pre-departure schedule had left me with vague thoughts and no plans. It was going to be an improv holiday. Thankfully, Karla, the head of Dramaturgy at Deutsches Theater, (DT) gave me the prompt, in the form of tickets to shows for pretty much all of the week following the fest. It was perfect. It gave me the opportunit...

In his work Poetics, Aristitle lists Opsis (or spectacle) as one of the six elements that make up theatre. But, he warns, without plot there is no point of spectacle. Modern dramatists define opsis as mise en sc è ne, that is, setting the stage.   And so it is. For the grand finale. It's the day of the 'Long Night of Authors'. I start the day late, so I don't have to end the night early. (sic)    Four authors of a German connect have been housed at the Deutsches Theatre (DT) since the start of the season, circa September 2023, with the objective of creating a performance that will debut tonight. The theatre has provided them with the means, support, funds, premise... "...all that they need to make this happen," Helene tells me. "For example, one of the playwrights wanted to connect with the RambaZamba Theatre, and DT made it happen." Helene is an important cog in the smooth operation of the festival. She had been in charge of the logistics to ensure ...

My journey to Berlin started in August 2023. No, I had not set off on foot. It was an email from Karla Mader, Head of Dramaturgy at Deutsches Theater, Berlin. It explained that the theatre was launching a podcast program titled ' ATT on Air '. And, it would invite 52 authors from around the world to contribute a story each that would address the climate crisis. The stories would be translated into German, recorded by a theatre actor, and released as a podcast. One story every week from a different country by a different author. Would I like to participate? Yes, I definitely would, I responded. My story, ' A Vow To Protect ',  was released on their podcast in December 2023. Three months later, another email followed. The theatre was hosting four of the international authors who had participated in the ATT podcast for the annual ATT festival. Would I like to attend?    Yes, I definitely would, I responded. Visa hassles, a might-miss-connection-inspired dash across Munich ...