DER KÖNIG STIRBT

In the organizer's words:

by Eugène Ionesco

translated from the French by Claus Bremer and Hans Rudolf Stauffacher

Centuries ago, Behringer became king. But nothing is left of his power, he is a ruler without a kingdom, even (almost) without subjects. The heating in the palace has broken down and the wind is whistling through the throne room. But Behringer cannot let go of power. But one thing is certain: at the end of the performance, he will have to die - an initial situation as tragic as it is grotesque. In one and a half hours of stage action, this king goes through all the phases of dying, from denial and escape, rage and despair to complete dissolution. For in the face of death, this great equalizer, crown, sceptre and court are of no help to him.

Man has always perceived the finiteness of his own life as the ultimate imposition, while at the same time he presumes to be able to rule over his peers and nature as he (above all) pleases - and as if there were no tomorrow. Eugène Ionesco's THE KING DIES, a piece of absurdist theater from the 1960s, has lost none of its topicality in view of today's discourse on power relations, patriarchy and the role of autocratic rulers. Paula Pohlus, assistant director at Schauspiel Köln, introduces herself as a director with DER KÖNIG STIRBT!

More info here