The PEN World Voices International Play Festival

The Martin E. Segal Center presented the PEN World Voices: International Play Festival 2019 livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Monday 6 May to Thursday 9 May 2019.

As part of the 2019 PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature, the Segal Center presents play readings with some of the most significant theatre artists from Germany, all connected to the Gorki Theater in Berlin—a safe haven for immigrant, refugee and international theatre artists in Europe.

The International Play Festival generates a conversation on art, politics, dreams, war, and philosophy, meant to give American audiences a rich awareness of the greater global dialogue.

All readings will be followed by a discussion with the playwright. TBC.

2019 Participants:
Nora Abdel-Maksoud, Sibylle Berg, Necati Öziri, Falk Richter, Yael Ronen, and Sivan Ben-Yishai Shermin Langhoff (Artistic Director, Gorki), Jens Hillje (Artistic Co-Director, Gorki), and Christopher-Fares Köhler (Artistic Consultant, Gorki)

The PEN World Voices: International Play Festival 2019 has been made possible by the support of Susan and Jack Rudin(†), The Hearst Foundation, and Marvin Carlson, Sidney E. Cohn Chair, The Graduate Center CUNY. The PEN World Voices: International Play Festival was conceived, created, and curated by Frank Hentschker since 2007 in collaboration with PEN World Voices Festival.

The 2019 Festival is produced by Mike LoCicero, in collaboration with Frank Hentschker.

Founded by Michael Roberts, Esther Allen, and Salman Rushdie in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, PEN World Voices is the only international literary festival in the world with a human rights focus. It attracts the world’s best-known writers and has garnered broad global acclaim as one of the world’s premier literary events. Since its founding, PEN World Voices has presented more than 1,500 writers and artists from 118 countries, speaking 56 languages. www.penworldvoices.org

Chip Rolley, Director, World Voices Festival, PEN America
Kim Chan, General Manager

Monday 6 May

Join Frank Hentschker in conversation with the Gorki Theater’s Shermin Langhoff (Artistic Director), Jens Hillje (Artistic Co-Director), and Christopher-Fares Köhler (Artistic Consultant).
3:30 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 5:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 6:30 p.m. EDT (New York)

The Gorki Theater focuses on conflicts of a diverse society with attention to themes like migration, queerness, refuge, exile, and feminism. They ask: “What is the place of theatre in a society in transition? What work should theatre artists, faced with a permanent crisis in economy and politics, produce to reflect the severe social and cultural conflicts in our societies on the stage?” Join us to learn more about the unique and groundbreaking vision of one of the important theatres of the City of Berlin.

Tuesday 7 May

Daddy Loves You
Written by Sivan Ben-Yishai
Directed by: Tina Satter
1 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 3 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 4 p.m. EDT (New York)

A high speed train approaches an unknown destination through the dark night under the earth. Nine older women are sitting neatly in a row on a bench on the train. The further the train speeds along, the more painful the memories become. The passengers recount the wars they survived, motherhood, sexual abuse and more.

Readings followed by a conversation with the playwright.

A Walk On The Dark Side
Written by Yael Ronen.
Translated by Anna Galt
Directed by Sarah Hughes
3:30 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 5:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 6:30 p.m. EDT (New York)

When astrophysicist, Immanuel, is awarded a significant prize, his wife, Mania, invites his brother for a trip. Mathias, also an astrophysicist and a rival, brings his girlfriend Magda along, who just attempted suicide. Dark matter against dark energy, structural harmony against a chaos that explodes the system.

Readings followed by a conversation with the playwright.

Wednesday 8 May

The Making Of
Written by Nora Abdel-Maksoud
Translated by Anna Kasten/PANTHEA
Directed by Sibyl Kempson
1 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 3 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 4 p.m. EDT (New York)

A film director wants to put together a superhero remake, made in Germany. But some crew members aren’t quite ready for the pressure of their roles. A wicked satire about the film business and theatrical ideals, a desperate hosanna to the paradox of acting and an optimistic swan song for roles that no one can really fulfill.

Readings followed by a conversation with the playwright.

Small Town Boy
Written by Falk Richter
Translated by David Tushingham
Directed by Nic Benacerraf
3:30 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 5:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 6:30 p.m. EDT (New York)

What happens when young men leave the patriarchy behind? Is it possible to be a different kind of man? A different kind of woman? How will we define family, nation and belonging in the future? “You leave in the morning with everything you own… Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away” (Bronski Beat)

Readings followed by a conversation with the playwright.

Thursday 9 May

Get Deutsch or Die Tryin’
Written by Necati Öziri
Translated by Anna Galt
Directed by Ashley Tata
1 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 3 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 4 p.m. EDT (New York)

There are moments in which everything comes together. Arda Yilmaz’s 18th birthday, for example, where she searches for the fragments of a language that recalls memories of childhood in Almanya and a German-Turkish family history amidst the turmoil of “guest” work and the Turkish putsch. Above else, Arda is searching for an unknown father. A fade-out on the last track of the record of your life.

Readings followed by a conversation with the playwright.

And Now, The World!
Written by Sibylle Berg
Translated by Ben Knight
Directed by Andy Goldberg
3:30 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 5:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 6:30 p.m. EDT (New York)

Evening. A young woman alone in her apartment. Friends Skype her and send chats, text messages arrive, her mother calls. A few floors below, in the basement: a man is tied and gagged. Young women’s fears, desires, and obsessions with success are expressed in their media-saturated lives–but how do they actually want to live their lives?

Readings followed by a conversation with the playwright.

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected], or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archive of past events.