Reden ist Silber... ("Speech is of silver...")

A comedy about our times

"Reden ist silber..." is the title of a piece authored by the entire ensemble of the Theater der Klaenge, and which deals in the present of the year 1993/94 (there is a more current 1998 version) with the core motif :"communication". A palette of typical contemporary characters was created with the help of masks derived from the half-masks of the italian "Commedia dell'Arte". These types encounter each other in the most different situations and groupings, which respectively point out specific communication conflics. One encounters thereby the historical "Commedia dell'Arte" figures of the "Capitano", the "Pulchinella", or the "Harlekin" in their modern equivalents, as well as many newly found stylised mask-characters.

Theater is in this piece as it was in the historic "Commedia dell'Arte": a place to tell history. For example the story of Harlekin - Raadji, a young turk, who attempts to find his luck in Germany after completing his military service duties in Turkey, and who finds himself confronted by a hostile and brutal society; or the story of Jupp, an old warehouse man, who loses his job, and experiences the loneliness brought on by his new senseless circumstances; or Polichinell - Toni, who does everything he can to be aknowledged by the german upper-class; or Harlekin - Ali, the moroccan who cleverly and unscrupulously infliltrates himself into this society, or, or, or…

The 25 scenes contain thereby a kaleidoscope of most different kinds or encounters and a weaving of relationships between the various characters, who by the means of comedic acting and wit, either master their respective speech and communications problems, or fail at them… This theatrical style brings the original mediums of mask-theater and music-theater to contemporary acting. Therefore dance and song to acting, actors communicating directly with the audience, the elimination of the dark separation between stage and audience. Theater is once again the place where all can laugh and amuse themselves together at funny situations of our times, a place with the festive character of an evening at the theater, where foyer, admission and subsequent performance become a beautiful, unusual and communal theater event by the actors, the musicians and the public.

"Reden ist silber…" is a comedy about our times in the style of a "contemporary Commedia dell'Arte" ! Reden ist Silber… was performed alltogether 19 times in 5 different places. In 1998 a version current to the times was worked on for 8 more performances at the Theater der Klaenge Retrospective. The piece represented for the ensemble a reaction to the previous "Figur und Klang im Raum" ("Figures and Sound in Space"), and is once again a political play. It was created in collaboration and as the last part of the trilogy "Theater der Klaenge and Bauhaus" .