Antonius und Kleopatra

We are in Egypt and Rome in the years from 40 to 30 before our calendar: Global politics is used as a stage to fight out private sensitivities. The Egyptian queen Cleopatra and the Roman general Marcus Antonius are shackled to each other in a mania of love and internally torn between the will to power and hedonism. Passion is their strength and their downfall. The dramatic suicides committed by both of them is not only the end of an affair but also seals the decision about world domination.

Intimacy and empire. Hysteria and hubris. At the beginning of the Early Modern Era, when England was just getting ready to become heirs to the Roman Empire, William Shakespeare wrote a private tragedy about these infamous lovers – and at the same time a history that encompassed the entire world that was known then. In Rome and Egypt, two different computations of time oppose each other: the linear striving for world domination against the concept of time as an aimless cycle of nature. Sensual, enchanting poetry meets cold, business-like pretence. And in this encounter, several exotic ascriptions come to light. In their direct involvement, Cleopatra and Anthony are the stuff of great cinema, but they do not remain sincere with each other. Ultimately, the power of seduction and hormone-driven actions are branded as unsuitable political advisors. And the alternatives of East and West are to be dissolved: Octavius, later Emperor Augustus, sets out to become the rigorous administrative head of both.

In this project at Diskothek, Teresa Schergaut and Patrick Isermeyer will seize the opportunity to explore the cosmos of “Antonius und Kleopatra” in their own, playful way. Both of them joined the acting company of Schauspiel Leipzig in 2020 / 21. They will be supported in their project by director-in-residence Claudia Bauer, who has been invited to the Berlin Theatertreffen four times. Her most recent work on the Main Stage at Schauspiel Leipzig was “Die Rättin” based on the novel by Günter Grass and she will also be directing the revival of her successful production of “Meister und Margarita” this season.