Theatre Production for the 50th Anniversary of Alanus University

‘The Complaint of Nature – Not All That Glitters Is Gold’ about Alanus ab Insulis, after whom the university is named, premieres on 21 September 2023.

In a poetic, visually powerful theatrical enchantment, “The Complaint of Nature – Not All That Glitters Is Gold,” created for the 50th anniversary of Alanus University, explores a theme that preoccupied the universal scholar and the university’s namesake, Alanus ab Insulis, more than 900 years ago: what is needed to regain a reconciliation between humankind and nature? The piece was developed by performART students from the Department of Acting and premieres on 21 September 2023 at 7:30 pm in the main hall at Campus I – Johannishof.

In his epochal work “Anticlaudian,” Alanus ab Insulis describes the fantastical and adventurous journey of an expedition from Earth to the Creator through the cosmos and back again, with the mission of asking the Creator for a new human being and ultimately establishing this new person on Earth. But even the new human must still prove capable of resisting evil. Alanus sought to express his spiritual vision through allegories, and in “The Complaint of Nature” too, the work is concerned with nothing less than representing the unspeakable. The production draws on the dramaturgy of the adventure story and connects the 900-year-old images and themes with those of our own time.

The ensemble consists of students in the performART degree programme, now in their 5th semester. They are the pioneering cohort with which studies in performART began in 2021. This three-year bachelor’s degree is a new programme, unique in the German-speaking world, that combines performing and visual arts and thus responds in a special way to current developments in the arts. This arts degree, which fosters personal development, also offers orientation and a foundation for a wide variety of career paths, as has long been established and tested in Liberal Arts degree programmes in the English-speaking world. With the autumn semester, all year groups are now represented for the first time.

Created and performed by
Rand Abboud, Joël Ameloot, Mathilda Guntinas, Gwenda Kircher, Simon Marti, Helen Merkh, David Steinbach, Sabrina Wagner, Lilith Wueller.

Costumes and set design
David Steinbach, Miguel Krüger, Lina Marie Eickhoff, Martin Dinglinger

Artistic direction
Prof. René Harder, Ilona Pászthy

Premiere
21.09.2023, 7.30 pm, further performances: 22 and 23.09. (followed by an audience discussion with the ensemble and director), each at 7.30 pm

Venue
Alanus University
Campus I – Johannishof
53447 Alfter

Tickets at the box office
€12 regular, €6 reduced, €2 internal university rate
Reservation: schauspiel-ticket@alanus.edu

Contact for press enquiries:
+49 (0)2222 9321 -1942 / -1944
presse.hochschule@alanus.edu