A.J. Weissbard
art, direction, and design, with light and space
Schlachthof 5
(Slaughterhouse-Five)
based on the novel by Kurt Vonnegut, text adaptation by Johannes Kirsten
music by Vladimir Rannev
directed by Maxim Didenko
scenery, costumes, and light by AJ Weissbard
video by Oleg Michailov
choreography by Vladimir Varnava
musical direction by Daniel Oren, with the participation of AuditivVokal Dresden
a co-production of tristan Production and HELLERAU European Centre for the Arts
Festspeilhaus Hellerau, Dresden, 2020
“Appreciating any story is greatly influenced by the context of its reader, a fact no more important than in the theater. When considering this novel for our interpretation, it goes without saying that our adaption must deliver the story to an audience of today. And, much as the through-line of the novel jumps unpredictably, so, too, did our approach to this work, as our own context and perception of the world has been radically upended in recent months.”
“The initial approach to the project attempted to link the architectural character of the Festspielhaus with the fluid mind space of our narrator and his universe. It was a digression from traditional presentations in the venue, but one that fell beyond our budgetary means. A subsequent approach yielded a more classical and modest interpretation. Then, tragedy intervened.”
“The challenge of the Covid-19 Pandemic has upset life across the globe and throughout every industry. In the arts, we are adjusting to new challenges in collaboration, execution, audience experience, among many more. This unique situation has caused us to rethink the concept for “Slaughterhouse-Five” at Hellerau to account for audience and performer safety, as well as oversight of the preparation, rehearsals, and general communication.”
“In our “Slaughterhouse-Five,” everything will be visible at every moment; it will be a theatrical-installation, engaging all aspects of the shared physical space. The guests will be encouraged to build their personal journey by choosing their own focus, curating their own experience. They may, too, feel frustration in not being given a complete picture, but this is what we all sense now, living with questions of what is safe, what has happened to us, and what the future may hold.”
