Oleanna - Theater of Altmark
On September 13, 2022, the play "Oleanna" by the Theater der Altmark will be performed at H6, Building 40 at 7:30 pm.
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Storyline
University professor John and student Carol meet for office hours in his office. He is about to be appointed professor for life and is a made man, both professionally and privately. She can't find her way around scientific jargon, has trouble with seminar reading, and her last paper was graded "fail" by John. Now Carol seeks his advice in a private conversation. He finds her "sympathetic," offers her private tutoring sessions, and even holds out the prospect of reconsidering the paper's grade. That's all. Or? At the next meeting, everything suddenly looks very different. Carol has accused John of sexual harassment and reported him to the appeals committee. His promotion, his reputation - everything is at stake. The conversation, which was meant to be a debate, ends in a relentless verbal duel. In this existential power play, the boundaries between insinuation and reality, between feelings and facts, between what is said and what is meant become increasingly blurred. In the end, no one is right; the truth lies solely in the eye of the beholder.
Since Arthur Miller, no playwright has taken a more critical look at American society than David Mamet. Deception and the feeling of being deceived are at the center of his best plays. "Oleanna" provoked cheers and angry abuse in equal measure from the audience at its 1992 premiere. Thirty years later, the issue of abuse of power regularly makes headlines. The echo chambers of social networks are driving the breakdown of communication and ripping open unbridgeable divides. The play by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet is more topical than ever.
Production: Jörg Gade
Stage & Costumes: Mark Späth
Dramaturgy: Tristan Benzmüller
Carol: Siri Wiedenbusch | John: Matthias Hinz