19 pupils from the 9th and 10th grades of the Montessori School Hausham perform
The Visit of the Old Lady
A tragic comedy by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Multi-billionaire Claire Zachanassian returns to her hometown of Güllen after many years away. The financially run-down town expects a lot from the old lady’s visit, and indeed: she promises a billion dollars – but on one condition:
The money will only be paid, if the people of Güllen kill their fellow citizen Alfred Ill. He was Claire’s childhood sweetheart and did her a great wrong many years ago…
After initial indignation at the immoral offer, new prosperity gradually seems to return to the ailing nest. Insidiously and gruesomely, Ill is struck by the certainty that the greed of his fellow citizens will seal his fate.
How much retribution does the deed warrant? What is the difference between revenge and justice? And how does the victim become a perpetrator?
The Swiss author Friedrich Dürrenmatt lived from 1921 to 1990 and wrote dozens of plays and prose texts. In the course of his drama theory, he developed the tragic comedy form, which combines elements of comedy and tragedy. The Visit of the Old Lady” belongs to this genre. The play in three acts premiered at the Schauspielhaus Zurich on 29 January 1956 and established Dürrenmatt’s international success.
The Montessori School Hausham is supported within the framework of the pilot project “Cultural Work at Schools” of the NEUMAYER FOUNDATION.
The play is directed by the actress and director Lydia Starkulla. Since the beginning of the school year, the young people have been rehearsing, working on the text and acting.
We would like to thank Mathias Schrön and Reiner Pertl from the Schliersee town council for their warm and caring support.
Performances:
- 16.02.23, 18:30, Bauerntheater Schliersee.
- 17.02.23, 9:30 am, Bauerntheater Schliersee (school performance)
Tickets can be purchased at Montessori-Schule Hausham or at the theater’s entrance
- 10 € Adults
- 6 € Pupils