Gastmahl

Banquets were an integral part of social and political life in ancient Greece. Based on a ritualized procedure, the participants – exclusively men – indulged in intoxication. Plato’s “Symposium” tells of a banquet held in honor of the god Eros, at which various concepts of love were discussed. Based on Plato’s writing, “Gastmahl” attempts a feminist and queer reinterpretation of this social practice: in four stages (“Longing”, “You & I”, ‘Community’, “New Affinities”), various forms of community are discussed and made tangible in today’s world. Texts from Plato’s “Symposion”, current non-fiction literature, opera arias arranged by multi-instrumentalist Ralph Heidel and dance are just as much a part of the interdisciplinary music theater as the performers' personal accounts. Interactive parts and recurring ritual elements invite the audience to actively participate in the action and become part of the community.