Far away from Africa
My African farm
By Karen Blixen
In a stage version by Gabriele Schelle
In German and Danish
Premiere: 26.08.2016 |
Museum Island Gottorf Castle State Museums SH
Cooperation:
Schleswig-Holstein State Theatre
&
Teatret Møllen/Dk
M`boghati/Kenya. In 1914, Karen Blixen settled in British East Africa. She ran a coffee plantation, married Bror von Blixen Finecke, who became a ruthless big game hunter, lived her great love with the monomaniac Denys Finch Hatton until he died in a plane crash, and found a confidant in Farah Aden - a kind of alter ego who brought Africa closer to her. She lived in Africa for 17 years, succumbed to the fascination of this foreign continent, admired the Masai, Kikuyu, Somali, but was never able to completely give up her tourist gaze. In 1931, Karen Blixen had to give up the financially ruined farm and returned to Denmark with nothing but memories. From these memories she created her famous book in 1937.
In
Out of Africa – My African Farm
Four actors with Danish, German and Ghanaian roots approach these memories and reflect with Karen Blixen on Africa, identity, truth, God, freedom, strangeness and familiarity. In the reflection "I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Mountains" a debate takes place on the border between reality and our image of reality. Reality and romanticism collide and make tangible an ambivalence and confusion that Europe still feels today - because seen from here, Africa is fascinating. But why is this enthusiasm not necessarily reflected in friendliness towards Africans? A poetic call to question Eurocentric certainties!
Direction/Text:
Gabriele Schelle
Dramaturgy:
Andre Becker
Music:
Peter Matrai
Costume:
Simone Froehlich
Visual Concept:
Joanna Ossolinska
Translation:
Ralf Marquardt
Production:
Christian Nisslmüller / SH State Theatre
With:
Thomas Jakob Clausen, Charity Collins, Christian Nisslmüller, Anne Reumert
Media
NDR Interview, 26.08.2016 mit Charity Laufer, Anne Reumert, Gabriele Schelle
VENUES
„[...]... fantastisches Kopfkino!“ [...] Die Zuschauer honorieren die eindrucksvollen Leistungen der vier Schauspieler mit lang anhaltendem Applaus.“
Kulturfokus
„Die durchdachte Nüchternheit, mit der Regisseurin Gaby Schelle und Dramaturg André Becker den weltberühmten Stoff bearbeiteten, und ganz bewusst als künstlerische Antithese zum Hollywood-Kassenschlager anlegten, ist frappierend.“
„Diese Perspektive, der Eurozentrismus, den nicht nur die Inszenierung, sondern auch das Programmheft eingehend beleuchtet, bildet das Rückgrat des Abends [...].“
„Dem Kern der Geschichte um die Dänin Karen Blixen, die sich vor über 100 Jahren auf einer Kaffeeplantage in Afrika niederließ, allerdings kommt die Inszenierung des Factory Theaters, wohl wesentlich näher.“
Kieler Nachrichten
