The first reading in this year's German Spotlight is The Test (Good Simon Korach) written by Lukas Bärfuss and translated into Englishby Neil Blackadder. Rebecca Spurgeon has directed the english reading of the play.
About the play:
All it takes is one hair or a drop of saliva, and a person’s whole world can be turned upside down. A DNA test reveals to Peter Korach that he’s not in fact the father of his adored wife’s beloved child. InThe Test (Good Simon Korach), Lukas Bärfuss explores the consequences of that discovery, for Peter and for the rest of his family—his father Simon, who cares more than anything about finally winning an election against his arch-rival; his mother Helle who prefers life on an ashram in India; and of course Agnes, who remains the mother of the child. The stakes are high, yet Bärfuss develops his premise in an often comic mode, thanks in part to the key figure of Franzeck, an advisor to Simon who longs to be more like Peter. The Test depicts a society that has invented a means to establish paternity but not yet the means to cope with the psychological and moral implications.
Rebecca Spurgeon is a director, actor, lighting designer, drama teacher and curriculum designer. She began training in Western Classical Piano and vocals from age 5. At 18, she decided to focus on Theatre. She has acted in over 30 productions and has significant experience as a Festival Director and Curator.
Rebecca is currently the Artistic Director at Jagriti Theatre, Bangalore.
Director's note:
I think the theme of identity and legacy is something we all encounter and attempt to understand. As a woman, the idea of legacy is extremely interesting to me because of the place it has in any conversations about women's rights over their own bodies. If women are seen as the way to further legacy and continue bloodlines, a woman's body is no longer her own. It is a part of a societal complex. In reading this play that also focuses on the idea of infidelity and the question of paternity, I felt so strongly about working on this script, hearing it through women's voices and for me, I find that this is the true power of theatre - the ability to document reality and inspire conversations as I am sure this play will do.
