Prater-Saga 3: In diesem Kiez ist der Teufel eine Goldmine

Passers-by are paid hard cash to appear onstage as Gob Squad direct part 3 of René Pollesch’s Prater Saga.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, have we got a show for you. Well, That’s a good question. Have we got a show for you? To be honest, I really don’t know because right now the stars of tonight’s show are walking around on the streets of Berlin leading their normal everyday lives and they don’t even know they are stars themselves yet! Tonight we’re working with real people, not people like us but real people.”

Where:
A Theatre – laid out like a TV Studio with a live link to the “real” world: the street.

Who:
Five TV presenters, hopefully 3 “real” people

How Long:
1.5 – 2.5 hours

What:
Prater-Saga 3 sees Gob Squad work with a written script for the first time. As part of a five part saga written by René Pollesch, Gob Squad attempt to seduce people from the streets into playing leading roles of a play that deals with wealth and poverty. Each night outside the theatre passersby are questioned on their financial status in an attempt to find a matching profile for the character Gob Squad are casting for. All is witnessed by a paying studio audience and a tv moderator on an apparantly expensive sofa. Once a candidate has been found they have to discuss a contract to establish how much they get paid for their role. 1 euro from each audience members ticket pays towards the “found actors” budget, and each actor must negotiate their share of the pie. After a final make-over, the actors are placed in a enclosed studio set in which, cued by headphones, they deliver their lines to cameras.

First performance: 10.12.2004 (Volksbühne im Prater, Berlin)

Premiere Cologne Version: 14.2.2008 (Schlosserei des Schauspiel Köln)