Ein Schluck Erde
A SIP OF EARTH by Heinrich Böll
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"I've hidden the earth ... I scratched it under my fingernails, stuck it in my ear, in my nose - in my mouth, and I always wanted to have my mouth full of earth once. A mouthful of earth." (Berlet)
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The world has ended. In the truest sense of the word. After a drastic rise in sea levels, the people in Heinrich Böll's stage debut A SIP OF EARTH live on the barren remnants of our civilization. Food is scarce and a sip of earth is a precious commodity. On small remaining patches of earth, the self-proclaimed "Knowers" have established a totalitarian system and "knowingly" monitor adherence to a rational, mindful, and frugal way of life. In contrast to the rational pleasure-averse "Knowers," there are the so-called "Crests," who, contrary to the ruling technocrats and to their displeasure, have preserved the ability to be contradictory, sensual, and irrational. And despite sanctions and penalties, pleasure, conscience, and memory remain, these last remnants of humanity pose a threat to the system. Because only democracy is capable of tolerating its enemies, all other systems must eradicate them.
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Böll's first play - premiered in 1961 - is a reckoning with prevailing power structures, repression, and contempt for human beings, and a scientifically veiled aversion to pleasure in a world that, while sounding like a distant future, is disturbingly close to our own. Because all science fiction is ultimately just a description of the present.
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Directed by: Nik Mayr.
Cast: Andreas Hagl, Amelie Heiler, Carsten Klemm, Rosalie Schlagheck, and Annett Segerer.
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
