Ivanov by Anton Chekhov December 3, 2008

Via: http://www.uclalive.org/event.asp?Event_ID=560

Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz performs 'Ivanov' by Anton Chekhov as part of UCLA Live, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles.

U.S. Exclusive

Since 1914, Berlin’s Volksbühne has been among the most prominent and revolutionary theater establishments of the past century, playing host to some of the most influential directors, writers, actors and set designers of its day including Max Reinhardt, Erich Engel, Bertolt Brecht, Heiner Müller and Emil Jannings. Led by renegade German theater director Frank Castorf, Volksbühne has a tradition for presenting provocative, controversial theater that tears down classical conventions, while also confirming them in a reflective way. Treading a fine line between broad comedy and tragic melodrama, Chekhov’s prescient first play anticipates the explosive revolutionary atmosphere of Russia at the turn of the century. In this bold interpretation, Bulgarian-born director Dimiter Gotscheff eliminates all traces of naturalism, resulting in an eerie stage shrouded with mist and stripped of stage props, reflecting the existential despair and spiritual stagnation of modern society.

In German with English supertitles.
Performance includes smoke.

Official Website: http://www.uclalive.org/event.asp?Event_ID=560