Schauspiel Leipzig – “Old building in a central location”: Ghosts of the future

At the end of the 19th century, cities were bursting at the seams. Workers moved from the countryside to urban centers and tried to get hold of one of the increasingly expensive beds. Families lived crowded together in one room and roamed the streets homeless with sacks and luggage on “draw day,” when the rental contracts ended every six months. Awakened by today’s housing shortage, the specters of laissez-faire capitalism are stirring and haunting today’s tormented tenants.

In the horror opera “Old building in a central location” two phases of capitalism come together in which housing becomes more precarious and the number of homeless people increases. In 1880 the house in which young Zoey lives and wants to find her way in the big city was built. Full of energy and joie de vivre, Paula Winteler performs on stage and wants to enjoy the metropolis to the fullest, but she has trouble sleeping. When the runner comes home from the club at 4 a.m., horrible music and pale figures populate her dreams.

Wearing frills and white wigs, the three ghosts move through the cube on the revolving stage with bizarre movements and make the night hell for the residents of the house. At the same time, Emerald International Real Estate GmbH is urging the last tenants to move out in order to completely renovate the building. The apartments become increasingly empty until only the hearing Zoey and the deaf Trisha, who is immune to the ghost music, remain.

The work commissioned by Schauspiel Leipzig, written by Raphaela Bardutzky, explores the reality of the housing shortage in all its consequences. After the eviction, Zoey becomes homeless and, shattered by capitalist and supernatural horror, dies in a car accident. The drastic developments are shocking, but do not contribute anything to a deeper understanding of the housing shortage. Even the ghosts, which point to an interesting historical parallel, only mention it in two sentences and haunt people who are in the same plight as them. There were political movements at the end of the 19th century that opposed the housing madness, used force to reoccupy rooms after forced evictions, and thus not only demanded the expropriation of houses, but also made it a practice. Spirits of solidarity that oppose the expulsion and not those affected would be historically accurate.

Director and choreographer Salome Schneebeli’s production is not a success because of the current conflict, which it plays through rather superficially. Her performance consists of working with deaf actors and simultaneous translation in sign language, which fits seamlessly into the production. On stage, the process finds its expression in the budding friendship of the neighbors Zoey and Trisha. They get to know each other because Zoey turns up the noise in order to drive away the ghosts. This robs Trisha of sleep because she can feel the vibrations through the wall.

Athena Lange, who plays the friend in the next room, became deaf at the age of 20 and works as a bilingual artist. During the writing process, she advised author Bardutzky on how to convincingly bring the mixed-abled friendship to the stage. Translation between languages ​​takes time. First, the punkish Zoey tries extensive pantomime to explain her ghost problem, then she finally uses paper and pen until finally she learns individual signs to talk to her friend.

The translation, but also the shared feeling of music, connects the different neighbors. Mr. Averige, the house’s property manager, doesn’t take the time to transcribe his spoken word when he talks about the impending eviction. He shows how quickly deaf people can become disempowered in everyday life.

In order to prevent such situations, the production team was coached by activists beforehand and hired a total of eight sign language interpreters. These necessary positions for inclusive work could not be paid for from a regular production budget. Only through funding from the Federal Cultural Foundation was it possible to try things out at eye level. The cuts in Berlin show that this important opening of the cultural sector does not represent a long overdue minimum for everyone. These primarily affect programs that break down barriers for artists with disabilities and support marginalized artists. After years of change, the old norm is knocking on the door again. People no longer want to afford diversity and inclusion, the participation of everyone in art and culture. In this social Darwinist future, the production at the Schauspiel Leipzig would fall out of budget again.

Next performances: December 1st, 15th and 30th.

www.schauspiel-leipzig.de