Arabian
Night (Die arabische Nacht) is a dream play set in an apartment complex
with no water on the hottest night of the year. Five characters from east and
west are drawn to Apartment 732 by the curse that has been placed on a forgotten
Arabian princess. Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote that the play was a “rigorously
composed piece for listeners, an oratorio for five actors’ voices….
Schimmelpfennig derives tension, story and developments merely from complexly
interwoven strands of narrative.” The play premiered in Stuttgart
at the Staatstheater in February 2001 and was nominated by six leading German
critics for ‘Play of the Year’.
In
the 2003, THALATTA! partnered
with The Goethe Institut Inter Nationes and the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center
to present contemporary German drama in New York. The series began by highlighting
the work of renowned playwright, Roland Schimmelpfennig. To provide audiences
with the greatest exposure to Schimmelpfennig’s work, we organized two
separate events in which to showcase his work.
The first event, Contemporary Theatre Abroad, was hosted by THALATTA!,
the Goethe Institute New York, the Graduate Center-CUNY & A.R.T./N.Y. The
evening consisted of two scenes from Schimmelpfennig’s work, Arabian
Night and PushUp 1-3, a lecture on Contemporary German drama,
the introduction of the Goethe-Institut Theatre Library by Jury Member Bernd
Schmidt, and a statement/Q&A with the playwright himself. A reception followed.
The second event was a full reading of Schimmelpfennig’s Arabian Night,
at the Blu Lounge in Williamsburg. Admission was free and both Bernd Schmidt
and Roland Schimmelpfennig were present.
THE following is a letter from Irmtraut Hubatsch, the former Deputy Director
at the Goethe Institut/NY :
Once again I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to you for your
excellent work and continuous enthusiasm in bringing German contemporary drama
to the awareness of the New York theatre community.We had two very successful
events.
My thanks go to you as a producer and to your actors for all the fine work.
It has been a pleasure working with you and I look forward to our collaboration
in the future.
