Sunday 25 November 2007

Der Häßliche, at Parnoto (National Academy of Arts)

After ProText Project’s successful opening by the onstage reading of 69, by Igor Bauersima the reading performances will continue on November 27 and 28 at the Steam Heating Room [Parnoto] of the Faculty of Applied Arts with the National Academy of Arts. The play that will be set in the gloomy underground environment of the stream heating room is Der Häßliche (2006), by Marius von Mayenburg.

Production Team:

Directed by Vasilena Radeva

Starring: Hristo Petkov, Vasil Chitanov, Ognyan Golev, Elen Koleva

Original Music by Branimir Stoykov – bggz

Animation by Boryana Krusteva

Video & Vision Mix by Lyubomir Draganov

The text deals with the 21st century’s mass hysteria over the artificially-generated perfect appearance that transforms human individual into a market-driven product. In the time of image fetishism and rapid consumer response the beautiful face is the necessary wrapping that sells the product, which raises a number of ethical and aesthetical issues. In our society’s hierarchy of values, image replaces substance and excessive perfection cancels genuineness and becomes pointless.

The idea behind the reading performances is to display the texts’ functional bond to the environment where staged. To set the sterile environment of cosmetic surgery procedures following one after another and to stage the obsession for perfect faceless beauty into the dirty and unsightly basement of the National Academy of Arts is certainly an appealing solution by the part of director and scenic designer.

Due to the venue’s limited seating capacity you are kindly requested to book a seat in advance by calling at (02) 852 77 48 (office) or 0898 899 143 (mobile).

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