"The Great Yes, The Great No" von William Kentridge I Ruhrfestspiele 2025
In the organizer's words:
"The Great Yes, The Great No" is the latest stage work by the internationally acclaimed South African artist William Kentridge, which is celebrating its German premiere as a co-production of the Ruhrfestspiele in Recklinghausen. Kentridge combines elements of theater, surreal chamber opera and visual art in a unique Gesamtkunstwerk. Using drawings, collages, film and masks as well as music, dance and drama, he creates a multi-layered narrative that dissolves the boundaries between reality and fiction. The play explores the theme of flight, merging the questions of the past with the crises of the present.
In the production, the audience accompanies a fateful sea voyage in 1941, when a ship sets sail from Marseille for Martinique - inspired by a real-life escape from the Vichy regime, which collaborated with National Socialism. Kentridge draws on the story of the "Capitaine Paul Lemerle", a converted freighter that left France in March 1941 with around 350 refugees and reached Martinique in April. On board the real ship were important personalities such as the writer Anna Seghers, the surrealist André Breton and the anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss. Kentridge expands this historical journey to include imaginary passengers such as Frantz Fanon, Joséphine Bonaparte, Joséphine Baker, Trotsky and even Stalin.
Since the 1990s, Kentridge has been known for his politically motivated works, which are predominantly based on charcoal drawings, often dealing with the history of South Africa and thus making African artistic perspectives internationally visible. His versatile work ranges from prints, sculptures and installations to theater and opera productions.
Credits:
Concept and director: William Kentridge
with Phala O. Phala and Nhlanhla Mahlangu
Production: THE OFFICE performing arts + film
Main commissioner: LUMA Foundation, Arles, France, in partnership with the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence
Co-production: Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg
Price information:
Children, pupils, students up to the age of 27, trainees, the unemployed and volunteers (BFD, FSJ, etc.) receive a 50% discount on the regular ticket price (except for price table 7) and remaining tickets at a price of €10.00 at the Box Office.
Location
Organizer | Festival
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