Fractidice behind prison bars

Prison theatre project aufBruch makes theatre with tough guys

berliner-zeitung-06-2012

For the last fifteen years, the aufBruch theatre company have chosen material and topics related to the experiences of prisoners. They don’t have to look far: world literature is full of murderers, thieves and heroes at loggerheads with the law. They have performed Spartacus, Don Quixote, Michael Kohlhaas, Kafka’s The Trial and most recently, the troupe crossed the Alps as Hannibal’s army. The switch between choral speaking and individual interjections, the main principle of classical tragedies, is an integral aesthetic element of this prison theatre project. The company is made up of anyone who wants to act. Twenty-five men perform in Cain and Abel, each of them speaking in a chorus, which sometimes represents one brother and sometimes the other…

Peter Atanassow ensures that the cast understands the texts both intellectually and emotionally. According to the director, some of the actors even dream about the play at night. Those who master the challenge gain the respect of the audience…