Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm

Who doesn’t want to be unwaveringly self-confident, congruent in his actions, eloquent and powerful? And who doesn’t want to fearlessly and resolutely resist all ambivalent inclinations, self-doubts and fear of all forms of emptiness? A man of confidence has all these desirable attributes. In this performance, it is a motivational life coach, who presents all this to the audience in a smart and entertaining way (of course). Confidence is associated with presentation, with techniques of illusion. And theatre is thus here an exemplary place to explore these techniques and issues and to challenge and test one’s confidence face-to-face with the audience.

In May 2013, Der souveräne Mensch was awarded the Hamburg Körber Foundation’s most important German newcomer prize at the Studio for Young Directors: “the stage, so the jury, is here transformed into a research laboratory and a space for self-inquiry, but in spite of this, the piece is not bloodless theatrical theory, but a sensual poetic experience.”

By and with Arnita Jaunsubrēna, Lea Schneidermann, Kim Willems * Technical Support: Caroline Creuzburg * Production: Institute for Applied Theatre Studies, Justus Liebig University Gießen * Supported by the Hessian Theatre Academy, Frankfurt LAB and the Cultural Department Gießen.