Frank Castorf – Volksbühne
The Gambler
Based on Dostoevsky's novel
Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote The Gambler in a critical moment of his life. After years of exile in a labour camp in Siberia, he returned home to find his wife dying. Soon afterwards, his brother and his best friend both suffered early deaths. Devastated, he travelled to Germany to escape his creditors. In no time, he had gambled away his last money and the copyrights to all his books. In urgent need of money, he wrote The Gambler in twenty-six days. Frank Castorf, the outgoing director of Volksbühne, has adapted several of Dostoyevsky’s novels. In this production, he employs his singular style of theatre and a strong cast, while also making use of impressive live film sequences. The director views Dostoyevsky’s literary manifesto of compulsive gambling as “a magnificent, vividly dynamic firework of stagnation and standstill,” informed by the writer’s harrowing life.
Following the end of the performance The Gambler, journalist and theatre critic Peter Laudenbach will talk with director Frank Castorf about the latter’s long career and his 25-year work at the helm of the unique Berlin theatre.
Peter Laudenbach has written extensively about Volksbühne. He collaborates regularly with numerous German publications, including the daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Peiraios 260 (D)
- 19/06 until 20/06/2017 at 19:00
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