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Autor:innentheatertage 2022: Not for the fainthearted

From June 8, Deutsches Theater celebrates 25 years of contemporary stage with some hard-hitting subject matter.

Reich des Todes. Photo: Thomas Rabsch

The 25th edition of the annual Autor:innentheatertage festival will return to its original format from June 8-18. Both 2020 and 2021 were marred by the pandemic, with Deutsches Theater opting to organise two special theatre days, but unfortunately deciding not to host guest performances.

This year’s 10-day festival will showcase three world premieres and nine Berlin premieres, featuring both classic and modern playwrights. The premieres have been selected by the festival’s three jurors: theatre director Christiane Rösinger, playwright Ferdinand Schmalz and actress Julischka Eichel.

Among the Berlin premieres is Fritz Kater’s Milchwald, which follows a daring and adventurous journey to retrieve the deported Laila back from the Ukrainian-Polish border. The play originally premiered in September 2021 in Bremen, but could not be more relevant right now.

Staying on the politics theme, Rainald Götz’s Reich des Todes (Empire of Death) tells the story of the demise of society post 9/11. This piece, from the playwright – who once slit his forehead open during a reading back in the 1980s and let the blood trickle down his face until he stopped reading – is recommended for audiences aged 16 and over. It promises to be shocking and interesting – but is certainly not for the fainthearted.

Enjoying its world premiere will be Judith Shakespeare – Rape and Revenge, directed by Christina Tscharyiski. Tackling #MeToo, it takes a look at how life would be different if Shakespeare had a younger sister called Judith who would write about rape. Bring it on.