God is a DJ (Gott ist ein DJ), written by
Falk Richter and translated into English by
Maja Zade, is the
second reading in this year's
German Spotlight.
Surabhi J Herur directs the English reading of the play.
About the play:
God is a DJ is set in what seems to be a studio-flat, a living-working set up, not completely different from the work-from-home scenario we are familiar with these days. It follows two individuals, ’He’ and ‘She’, who are under contract to sell videotaped segments of their lives to be live streamed at art galleries at a lucrative price.
The play was conceived and performed for the first time over two decades ago. And yet, its juxtapositioning of themes like public and private; real and imagined; consent and manipulation; present and past etc. offers us a variety of perspectives with which to examine the voyeuristic nature of life today. It offers us, in a sense, a way of seeing that can hold multitudes.
© Surabhi J Herur
Director's note:
"It took me a while to decide on
God is a DJ. Not only because it plays out on a particularly mental plane, but also because every time I read it, a different reality became the obvious one. At some point, I felt moved by it — for every reference, every occurrence that seemed absurd, there was no denying that it could all very well be, that it very much is, reality for someone.
It also brought up questions around how we consume art — how intrinsic our lives are to the art we make and vice versa. How much value is given to the witnessing of art, for it to come into being. How does the witness influence the art then, and how do we engage with this witnessing?
So it is all these things, along with a curiosity around how performers might respond to these concepts and to the dialogue; something that’s been deeply interesting to see as we rehearse."
Surabhi J Herur is a theatre practitioner, filmmaker, writer and facilitator. Her work centres around themes of invisibility, access and privilege, and the constructs that influence them. She has a considerable body of theatrical work to her name, in performance as well as in other areas of theatre making; and documentary films that cover a range of subjects, from gender to sustainability to social justice.
Credits:
Playwright:
Falk Richter
Translation:
Maja Zade
Direction:
Surabhi J Herur
Cast:
Priya Venkataraman and
Sambhaji Sasane
*Performance rights for this reading courtesy: S. Fischer Theater & Medien, Germany.
Only
one performance. Entry
free!
German Spotlight is a joint project of the
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore and
Sandbox Collective.
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