A Transition in Düsseldorf: Elfriede Jelinek's Linguistic Art on Stage
Date and Time
Location
Price
About this Event
Mood
Venue Type
A Transition: Elfriede Jelinek's Linguistic Quest for the Human Being
On November 6, 2026, the Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus brings Elfriede Jelinek's play A Transition to the stage of the Kleines Haus. The production by Jossi Wieler leads into a linguistically condensed world where transformation, war, history, and human identity incessantly intertwine.
A Language in Motion
Jelinek's text does not follow a linear plot in the classical sense. Rather, a linguistic web of associations, repetitions, and mental shifts emerges. The question of where the transformation of the human being leads forms the starting point for a theater experience of high literary quality.
The author, Nobel Prize in Literature laureate of 2004, combines political reflection with a distinctive linguistic artistry. In A Transition, she examines transitions from one essence form to another while also focusing on the historical forces that change societies and individuals.
Jossi Wieler Directs Elfriede Jelinek
Director Jossi Wieler is regarded as a prominent Jelinek director. His works on Wolken.Heim, he not as he, Doesn't Matter, Rechnitz, and Indication of the Person are characterized by a precise engagement with Jelinek's complex narratives.
For the Düsseldorf production, Wieler collaborates once again with set and costume designer Anna Viebrock. Music by Friederike Bernhardt and lighting design by Christian Aufderstroth expand the linguistic space with acoustic and visual layers.
History, Present, and the Question of Peace
The text was created for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Jelinek connects historical memory with the present and questions the mechanisms through which people experience wars, political upheavals, and social transformations.
The reading atmosphere of a literarily shaped theater evening merges here with the concentrated intensity of the Schauspielhaus. Voice, body, and language become instruments of an inquiry that does not settle for simple answers.
The Ensemble of the Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus
On stage are Katja Bürkle, Dominik Dos-Reis, Stefan Hunstein, and Ole Lagerpusch. The cast approaches Jelinek's text not as a closed narrative, but as a polyphonic body of language. This results in a special author encounter: The author is not present, yet her language shapes every moment of the evening.
An Evening in the Kleines Haus
The Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus is among the significant spoken theaters in the German-speaking world. In the Kleines Haus, the audience experiences A Transition on Friday, November 6, 2026, at 8 PM. Subsequently, a reading by Stefan Hunstein titled Jelinek in Context is announced, which deals with laws and decrees from 1934.
Conclusion: Theater as a Linguistic Boundary Experience
A Transition promises a concentrated theater evening between contemporary diagnosis, historical memory, and literary linguistic artistry. Those wishing to experience Elfriede Jelinek's radical narrative style, Jossi Wieler's work, and a demanding actor ensemble live will find in the Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus an evocative place to engage with the questions of our time.
Official Channels of Elfriede Jelinek:
- Instagram: no official profile found
- Facebook: no official profile found
- Website: no official profile found
- Publisher: no official profile found
