Die Kabale der Scheinheiligen. Das Leben des Herrn de Moliere. - Festival d'Avignon
The Parc des Exposition in Avignon was one of the most awe inspiring theatre spaces I have ever experienced. I had never before seen such a vast use of space, nor had I ever seen a Frank Castorf show, and I was truly swept away by the eclectic epic spectacle. Castorf’s Die Kabale der Scheinheiligen. Das Leben des Herrn de Moliere., lasted a daunting six hours and was not for the faint of heart. In addition, its theme was as ambitious as its length. In the Festival D’Avignon program, it reads that Die Kabale is meant to, “shine a light on and make fun of the relationship between the artist and those in political power” (Programme, 16). In an exploration of the purpose of works of art, the show thoroughly explored author/producer political relationships, as well as the relationship between the directors and performers. In so doing, Castorf incorporated the history of Mikhail Boulgakov and Stalin and that of Molière and Louis XIV, among others (Meyerhold, Piscator, Fassbinder, and Castorf).
During Die Kabale, the realm of the digital and that of physical theatre were married quite skillfully. Many film crew and production members ran around different areas of the set with the actors/actresses during the performance to film extremely private scenes and televise them on a large screen. The integration of digital elements was skillfully executed, the live stream was fluid and seamless, and the added level of voyeurism that resulted contributed greatly to my engagement with the show. Personally, the digital-physical experience put me in the mindset to think critically about how digital images are shot and how these images can seem so different and small when observed in conjunction with their physical counterpart.
Furthermore, as journalist Tim Briegleb of the Wagnerian stated, “Castorf always wanted to struggle against something harmonious and thoroughly predictable” (Briegleb, 1). To this end, Die Kabale made use of the great skill of the actors and a non-linear narrative. In addition, Guy Debord theorized in his work the Society of Spectacle that, “[the spectacle] is the sun that never sets over the empire of modern passivity” (Debord, 11), and in Die Kabale
there was always a constant bombardment of action containing multiple layers including allusions to other directors and their styles that did not allow for a passive audience. This spectacle led the audience to thoroughly question “how even today when all seems permitted, what censorship is left? And before whom must the artist present means of change?” (Programme, 16).
Works Cited
Briegleb, Tim. "The Bluffers Guide To: Frank Castorf." The Wagnerian. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 July 2017.
Debord, Guy. "The Society of the Spectacle." The Anarchist Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 July 2017.
Py, Olivier, comp. "Festival D'Avignon ." Programme (2017): 16. Web.
