Thought :: Dianoia

In Poetics, Aristotle speaks of Dianoia, the play's theme. Its raison d'etre. Why did the playwright choose to write this play?

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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 opportunity to soak in Berlin rather than gulp down the sights.

The morning after the finale I move out of the theatre apartment to the Airbnb I have booked for a week. I lug my bags through two train changes and a 10 minute walk to a quiet residential area. More about that in my next post. 

In the evening I am back to the theatre to watch 'The Ego And Its Own' also translated as 'The Individual And His Property'.

Grand proscenium theatres are difficult to stage plays in. Their largeness can be unforgiving as the director has to find meaning in the design and use of that space without losing sense of the story. First glance at the stage set-up for this play evidences the vision of the director. It is minimalist in form but fills the large space. And as the play progresses, the play of shadows against the stark white brings the far corners of the stage into play.       

For the next two hours, my eyes flicker between the subtitles and the action on stage. The play is lyrical and that adds to my difficulty as I struggle with the subtext while also trying to keep up with the subtitles. The theme of ego against the world comes through but it is the staging that has me in its holds, rather than the narrative. 

Later, Google informs me that the play is an adaptation of Max Stirner's The Ego And Its own written in 1844. 

Note to self: Read the original play

Also, note to self: Google the play before watching the show!

As I walk to the train station, I am amazed by how quickly one gets comfortable with new settings. The feet turn and move as easily as if they have beaten down the path to the station. I see the cafe signboards in my mind's eye before I see them in front of me. The familiar infuses me with ease and instead of rushing on, I slow down to a stroll and stop a few minutes to take a fill of the street lights twinkling in the river and the pink sky overhead. Because while familiarity is comforting, as a traveller I much prefer the litte spurts of fireworks that amazement sets off within me.