WOYZECK

Arthur-Schnitzler-Platz 1

1070 Wien

 

A classic in which—once again—a man becomes the murderer of his own wife: Woyzeck is "a poor man," serving as a common soldier and hiring himself out as a human guinea pig for medical experiments, subsisting on "nothing but peas." The doctor expects these experiments to yield groundbreaking nutritional insights. In reality, however, the malnutrition takes its toll on Woyzeck; he begins to hear voices and becomes increasingly mentally deranged. Meanwhile, his meager earnings barely suffice to support his life with his partner, Marie, and their child. Mocked by his captain, humiliated by the doctor, and soon betrayed by Marie, Woyzeck moves through the world "like an open razor."

Drawing on actual court records, Georg Büchner crafted this—ultimately unfinished—drama about the impoverished Woyzeck and his descent into psychological collapse. Following her production of *LIKE LOVERS DO* at the *Dunkelkammer*, director Mechthild Harnischmacher once again examines the social structures that foster violence against women. She presents the play as a monologue featuring ensemble member Samouil Stoyanov, who explores the fateful nexus of social decline and male loneliness. The pulse of the production is shaped by the compositions of exceptional percussionist Katharina Ernst.

(Source: volkstheater.at)