“How can we get to the interior safely? And how do we get back out without losing our grip?” This is the question posed by mining counsellor Wilhelm August Julius Albert at the outset. He is talking about penetrating the earth and reaching the many treasures concealed under its hard crust. At the same time, the question also aims at the interior life of humans that appears to hold just as many mysteries as Mother Earth. But not least, the counsellor enquires after the internal order and changeability of our society. He will develop a rope that revolutionises the art of mining and sustain the miners’ grip as they descend towards the core of the earth. But what kind of tool will secure us when we examine ourselves and the way we live together.
Kevin Rittberger’s play assembles people and interlocks their stories across the eras – beginning in the early 19th century; it spans an arc into our near future. Amidst today’s climate crisis, it asks how we may live and with whom we will join forces. It wants to know how love works. It asks whether we can change power relations by reversing the greater political contexts. It shows the overexploitation of the world and the overexploitation of people. It feels its way towards a world that might venture a new attempt in care and connection, cooperation and freedom.
Marie Bues, who most recently directed the Klimatrilogie in Hanover, will stage the world premiere of this commissioned work.