Or will we drown in stupidity …?
Due to the current state of affairs, I remembered a theatre play Norbert Weinberger and yours truly drafted and then wrote during a flight to India late in the last millennium. At the time, the two of us were going to New-Delhi flying Swiss Air from Munich via Zürich in order to visit our subsidiary enterprise. The business class seats were almost all unoccupied and several charming Swiss ladies were really interested in making us feel comfortable.
There was more than enough champagne and Norbert and I thought it might make sense to use the time in a constructive way and write a small sketch on the stupidity of late capitalism.
During that night, a short theatre play was created. It introduces simple pictures and messages, told by our fairy tale story teller (Muschka):
Two free-lance workers (Norbert and yours truly) are in a tight situation. Consequently, they sit on a draughty park bench drinking their beer. By chance, a business student (Markus) passes them. They tell him their dilemma and start a company with him. Soon, they are overjoyed by the nice yearly balance, but their financial auditor (Christian) quickly brings them back to earth. He recommends a business angel to them (Hans) whom he personally knows. Said angel immediately solves all their problems and takes them to the stock market with golden wings (on his back). The director’s personal assistant (Claudia) also rather likes the idea and serves champagne. Now the motto is to grow, which means “hire & buy”. All of a sudden, all the euphoria is gone and bad things start to happen. Mr. Buy becomes Mr. Sell (Alfred). And at the end of the story, the two friends will again sit on their park bench and drink their beer.
So much on what goes on in this very sentimental satire on New Economy by Norbert Weinberger and Roland Dürre. The play was first on stage with the managing directors and directors of the medium-sized IT companies cooperating in the IT-Treff. It was on June, 29th, 1999 in front of an audience of almost 550 at the München Schlachthof – all of whom laughed until they nearly collapsed. So this is now almost 15 years ago. But it is as explosive as it was then.
Here is the text if you wish to read it or play it yourself.
[download#11]
There is also a video tape of the play, but the quality is sub-standard. I would be glad if a group (amateurs or professionals) were to play the piece again and make a new video recording. In fact, I am prepared to support such a project and pay 1,000 € for this first staging of the play in a nice environment. Since it is short and easy to produce, it might well also serve as “preliminary” piece. Like a pre-band. Isn’t that an innovative idea?
RMD
(Translated by EG)
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