"It's a strange contraption", said the officer to the explorer while observing the machine, which was all too familiar to him, with a distinct look of admiration.
An army officer explains the workings of an ingenious execution machine to an explorer. The machine will soon be in operation, carrying out a death sentence. The explorer is allowed to watch. Despite certain objections, he remains cautious in his criticism.
Where are we? In Africa? Is the explorer a Westerner? And is the officer with his complex rationale and technical know-how out to show how ‘modern’ he is? A sense of awkwardness runs through the conversation between the two men about civilization and violence. Few of Kafka's texts can be read as politically as In the Penal Colony. The staging needs to take account of the stratification in the text and the individuality of the writer. Bart Meuleman and Olympique Dramatique have a challenge on their hands.
SCRIPT BASED ON "IN THE PENAL COLONY" BY
FRANZ KAFKA
TEXT ADAPTED BY
BART MEULEMAN, STIJN VAN OPSTAL, GEERT VAN RAMPELBERG, E.A.
DRAMATURGY
IVO KUYL
SOUND DECOR
SENJAN JANSEN
LIGHTING DESIGN
MARK VAN DENESSE
VAN EN MET
STIJN VAN OPSTAL, GEERT VAN RAMPELBERG, WILLY THOMAS, DAVID DERMEZ
PRODUCTION Toneelhuis, KVS
