Ein Abend für Elfriede Jelinek

On the eve of her 80th birthday, an all-star ensemble from the Münchner Kammerspiele gathers—all of them Jelinek specialists who, over the past three decades and under various artistic directors, have staged world premieres of her plays on this stage: “In the Alps” (world premiere 2002, directed by Christoph Marthaler), “Ulrike Maria Stuart” (2007, directed by Jossi Wieler), “Rechnitz (The Strangling Angel)” (world premiere 2008, directed by Jossi Wieler), “Winterreise” (world premiere 2011, directed by Johan Simons), “Die Straße. Die Stadt. Der Überfall.” (world premiere 2012, directed by Johan Simons), “Das schweigende Mädchen” (premiere 2014, directed by Johan Simons), “Wut” (premiere 2016, directed by Nicolas Stemann), and “Asche” (premiere 2024, directed by Falk Richter)

She is a master of exploring the present. With perfect pitch—even for all the discordant notes. Her texts are a welcome challenge. Bold, full of rage, and masterful with language. In 2004, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for the “musical flow of voices and counter-voices.”

After the Jelinek reading and before the discussions and birthday reception, the Schauspielhaus transforms into a movie theater: on the big screen, we’ll show “Elfriede Jelinek – Letting Language Run Free” by Claudia Müller, which won the German Film Award (Lola) in 2023 for “Best Documentary Film,” featuring, among others, Elfriede Jelinek, Sandra Hüller, and Sophie Rois. The film paints “a complex portrait of a brilliant master of language” (Süddeutsche Zeitung).