Gespannte Gefährten
(2002)

The piece is for two actors and a small chamber ensemble consisting of bass viol, bassoon, and percussion. The work fits into the genre of Music Theater, but is more of a sit-com in character. The title of the work, which loosely translates as „Strained Relations“, implies the central theme of the work: the unlikely meeting between the American writer, Gertrude Stein and the Soviet politician, Andrej Gromyko. Dramatically, a bizarre connection is made in ‘virtual space’ between the two diverse personalities in an ironic manner by focusing on each figure’s roles as survival artists, their stubbornness, and insistence on being part of the world stage. The stage setting is designed to give the impression that the work is actually taking place on television and that the audience is sitting in the studio during broadcast. Audience laughter blends in a natural manner as in an actual sit-com. The music combines lyrical humor of a Satie with the juggling vitality of a Stravinsky, but it is something highly own and fitting for the „Song of Individuality“ (Getrude Stein) and the „Self Preaching Chorus of a Communality“ (Andrej Gromyko). All in all, the twentieth century calls for to march forward!Production Team: Art Clay, Maira Thorgevsky, Dan Wiener & Erratum EnsemblePerformance Space: Gare du Nord, Basel, Switzerland: Palazzo Theater, Liestal
Switzerland.