RITTER, DENE, VOSS
by Thomas Bernhard | English language world premiere
"Fascinating" -NEW YORK TIMES
"Flawless" -CANADIAN THEATRE REVIEW
"A delicious Beckett-meets-Brechtian farce" -BROADWAY WORLD
"Energized by Bernhard’s comic extremism" -NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS
RITTER, DENE, VOSS
Maev Beaty, Jordan Pettle, Shannon Perreault (Photo: Dave Beckerman)
"Dizzying and stimulating... The performance of a lifetime" -PAULA CITRON (96.3 FM)
"Touching and sharp-edged… delivered with clarity and distinctive style" -GLOBE AND MAIL
"Fans of Bernhard, and those not familiar with his work alike, will be rewarded" -FLAVORPILL
"One Little Goat's grasp of Bernhard's humour in the face of futility is impressive" -ECONOMIST
September 23 - October 10, 2010 in New York
La MaMa E.T.C.
The acclaimed production comes to New York…!
September 23 - October 10, 2010
Thur - Sat 7:30pm | Sun 2:30pm
La MaMa E.T.C.
first floor theatre
74A East 4th Street NY NY 10003
(See map to theatre)
Tickets & info:
212-475-7710, www.LaMaMa.org
or in person at the box office (74 E 4th Street NYC)
Advance tickets recommended
Directed by Adam Seelig
Featuring Shannon Perreault, Maev Beaty & Jordan Pettle
Sets & Costumes by Jackie Chau (NY installation by Nathan Heverin)
Lighting Design by Kate McKay (NY installation by Raquel Davis)
Translation by Kenneth Northcott & Peter Jansen
Music by Ludwig van Beethoven
SYNOPSIS
Ritter, Dene, Voss involves the Worringer sisters —both Viennese actresses— preparing for their brother’s return from the Steinhof mental institution in Vienna, where he has been a patient for some time. Dene is the driving force behind an attempt at reintegrating him into family life while Ritter remains skeptical. When Voss, a tormented genius (loosely based on last century’s great, idiosyncratic philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein), finally appears, it becomes clear that he never planned to stay for good. The play takes place before, during, and after lunch, unfolding through caustic dialogue in this ‘misanthropic comedy.’
THOMAS BERNHARD
(1931-1989)
Famous for his ranting style, Thomas Bernhard is widely regarded as one of the most provocative writers of the 20th-century. His plays, which explore social power dynamics, combine the angst of Samuel Beckett with the absurdist comedy of Eugène Ionesco.
Bernhard was born in Holland in 1931 but grew up in Austria. A chronic lung disorder in 1948 led to his confinement in a sanitarium until 1951. In 1952 he enrolled in the Akademie Mozarteum in Salzburg in 1952 to pursue his interest in music and theatre, and graduated in 1957 with a thesis on Antonin Artaud and Bertolt Brecht. In 1965 Bernhard made his home on a farm in upper Austria where he lived reclusively until his death in 1989. He was the recipient of many international awards, including the prestigious Georg Büchner Prize.
Bernhard’s many plays include Histrionics, Eve of Retirement, and The Force of Habit. One of his most celebrated novels, The Loser (1983), involves the iconic Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.
PRODUCTION HISTORY
One Little Goat presented the English-language world premiere of Ritter, Dene, Voss in Toronto in 2006. Hailed by The Canadian Theatre Review as “flawless,” the production toured to Chicago’s Trap Door Theatre in December 2007, where Newcity Chicago ranked it as its #1 production. The play was first performed in German by Ilse Ritter, Kirsten Dene and Gert Voss at the Salzburg festival in 1986. It went on to be performed with the original cast at the Burgtheater in Vienna every two years for the next ten years.