Slaughterhouse 5

A production by tristan in co-production with HELLERAU – European Centre of the Arts and other partners

Slaughterhouse 5 is the name of a 1969 novel by Kurt Vonnegut. Born in 1922 in Indianapolis (USA), Vonnegut volunteered for military service at age 21. In 1944 he was captured by Nazi forces and imprisoned in Dresden. In the cellars of Slaughterhouse 5, he survived the devastating air raids that razed the city on 13-14 February 1945. For years Vonnegut tried to put his experience into words. When Slaughterhouse 5 finally hit the bookstores in 1969, the novel became an overnight success and a must-read for all opponents of the Vietnam War. The text is a collage, satire, biography and science fiction at the same time. In fragmented scenes and excerpts, the story takes the reader to different time periods and interweaves personal experiences with imagined, fictionalised details. Slaughterhouse 5 doesn’t only describe the night of the aerial bombings in Dresden, but also reflects on the possibilities of remembering and holding on to experiences. How do we remember wartime events? What experiences become part of our cultural memory? How is history written (or re-written)?

Although it has been 75 years since the end of World War II, the story is as relevant today as ever. Neo-nationalistic and right-wing populist groups continue to use the bombing attack story for their own purposes. Many of these groups propagate the “Legend of Dresden” to justify current policies with events of the past. During the final years of the Nazi regime and in former GDR, the devastation of the bombing was regularly instrumentalised by various political agitators and camps.

Against this backdrop, the Russian theatre director Maxim Didenko has developed a new stage adaptation of Slaughterhouse 5; the world premiere will be presented at HELLERAU – European Centre of the Arts in Dresden in autumn 2020. Didenko is a multiple award-winning, internationally acclaimed director who is known for visually gripping choreographic-theatrical stage language. In this production, he explores new ways to approach Vonnegut’s text, commemorative culture in Germany and the “Legend of Dresden”. He also integrates texts from contemporary witnesses and historical documents dating back to the GDR. The concept is that of a multimedia music theatre production where theatre, dance, music and performance intersect, and in which performers, actors, dancers and singers interact on stage. The music, created especially for this production by the Moscow composer Vladimir Rannev, will be performed live by a Dresden-based ensemble for contemporary music. Vladimir Varnava, one of the most promising young choreographers in Russia, will be responsible for the choreography. For the spatial realisation of “Slaughterhouse 5”, the American artist and light designer AJ Weissbard will revisit the natural lighting concept used in the early years of the Festspielhaus Hellerau and enhance the action on stage with lighting and video projections.

Following the world premiere at HELLERAU, guest performances of the production are planned in Germany, Russia and selected European cities.

Music: Vladimir Rannev (Auftragswerk)
Dramaturgy: Johannes Kirsten
Stage director: Maxim Didenko
Set Design, Costume Design, Light Design: AJ Weissbard
Choreography: Vladimir Varnava
Video Design: Oleg Michailov
Musical director: Olaf Katzer
Musicians: AuditivVokal Dresden
Dancers: Cast tristanPRODUCTION
Actor: Wolf-Dieter Gööck
Project management (tristan): Isolde Matkey
Project management (HELLERAU): Leonie Sophie Kusterer, Moritz Lobeck