GRADUS. GIORNATE D’AUTORE
FOCUS MARIUS VON MAYENBURG
Author’s conversation with Florian Borchmeyer
Readings from Ellen Babić by Nicoletta Robello
with Giovanni Carta, Lidia Castella, Nicoletta Robello, Francesca Tripaldi
TEATRO DUE – Shakespeare 1
23RD NOVEMBER, 4:30 PM
Who defines the boundaries of abuse of power? And what happens when we can no longer distinguish blame and reason? With Ellen Babić, Marius von Mayenburg builds a psychological thriller about the delicate network of dependencies between people, shattered certainties, abuse of power and the dynamics of dependency that affect all our relationships.
On stage is Astrid, a teacher who lives with Klara, her much younger companion who was once her pupil. One evening, her boss announces a visit to their home. It would only be an informal visit, perhaps with a glass of wine, but Klara does not like the idea: after all, she still teaches at the same school where she, Klara, still a pupil, met Astrid. In the course of the evening, the separation between work and private life, between past and present, will prove to be increasingly an illusion. And finally, there is Ellen Babić…
Ellen Babić is distinguished by the psychological precision of the dialogues, the relevance and sharpness of the conflicts.
Marius von Mayenburg is an author, director, playwright and translator. Born in Munich, he studied playwriting at the University of the Arts in Berlin, was a member of the DT-Baracke team in Berlin and was Dramaturg and writer-in-residence at the Schaubühne in Berlin.
His plays (including The Ugly One, Fireface, A Piece of Plastic) have been translated into more than 15 languages and have been successfully performed all over the world, winning several awards.
Marius von Mayenburg has translated numerous classics into German, including works by William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde. His play Nachtland originally commissioned by the Royal Court Theater in London had its world premiere at the Schaubühne in Berlin in 2022; it was later produced at the Young Vic in London.
His most recent trilogy consists of the plays Ex, Ellen Babić and Egal. Ex premiered in 2021 at the Rikstheatre in Stockholm, Sweden, while the German premiere of Ellen Babić was produced by the Berliner Ensemble in 2024. In 2025 Ellen Babić and Egal will be produced at the Burgtheater in Vienna.