ACFNY SUPPORTED | PERFORMANCE | DIE (IRR)WITZIGE, (HALB)SEIDENE KARRIERE DES FRÄULEIN ERNA
Die (irr)witzige, (halb)seidene Karierre des Fräulein Erna (The Crazy and Shady Career of Miss Erna)
MONDAY FEB 11 – SATURDAY FEB 16 | 6:30 PM DAILY
** Please note that these performances will be in German **
Die (irr)witzige, (halb)seidene Karierre des Fräulein Erna is a turbulent story set all over Europe, freely adapted by Verena Kurth from the novel Karriere by Austrian author and journalist Robert Neumann. The play is directed by Rupert Henning and the musical accompaniment is provided by violinist Aliosha Biz. In this one-woman play, Austrian actress Mercedes Echerer will play the role of Erna – and 31 other characters.
Set in the 1920s, it is the story of Erna, a girl from the countryside who, although has meagre possibilities, ingratiates herself with people and seizes opportunities. Unplanned and unexpected, she climbs the ladder to the top and ends up spinning the big wheel of politics and economy. Mercedes Echerer is Erna. And she is all of the 31 men and women she encounters along her adventurous path, which leads her all over Europe and introduces her to a vivid array of people, cities, and facts of life. Die (irr)witzige, (halb)seidene Karierre des Fräulein Erna is a fulminant solo evening full of laughter and contemplation.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Mercedes Echerer was born in Linz/ Austria. Following her first apprentice contracts at the Landestheater Linz and Salzburg and the Stadttheater Klagenfurt, she performed at the Theater an der Wien and the Theater in der Josefstadt. Furthermore, there were countless engagements both in the off-scene and major festivals in Austria and abroad, along with work in film and television. Echerer performed under the direction of Frank Arnold, Harald Clemen, Angelika Domröse, Rosemarie Fendel, Florentin Groll, Maria Happel, Rupert Henning, Otto Schenk, Kurt Palm, Dietmar Pflegerl, and Harald Posch, amongst others. Echerer also engaged in politics: Between 1999 and 2004, she was member of the European Parliament with focus areas in culture and media, domestic market and competition. In 2003, Echerer established EU XXL Film, an independent platform for European creatives. Currently her second audio book series titled “EUROPA ERHÖREN” is in the making.
Aliosha Biz was born in Moscow as the son of a native Austrian artist family. Following the completion of violin studies at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Biz has been living in Vienna since 1989. The multitalented violinist is a convinced cosmopolitan: He dealt in depth with Jewish music, was a member of the American Music Ensemble Vienna, and is a masterful interpreter of Greek music.
The author and publicist Robert Neumann (*1897 in Vienna, †1975 in Munich) released more than 100 books, numerous theatre pieces and radio plays, and a number of German and English language screenplays. His literary breakthrough came in 1927 with his collection of parodies “Mit fremden Federn”. In 1933, Neumann’s work stood on the list of books burnt by the Nazis. He left Vienna in 1934 and went into temporary exile in Great Britain. Neumann organised the Free Austrian P.E.N. Club in London and initiated the publication of English translations of German exile authors such as Arnold Zweig and Heinrich Mann. Neumann continued to live in England until the end of 1958, thereafter in Locarno-Monti in Tessin, Switzerland. Between 1959 and 1974, Neumann remained active as a novelist, political publicist, and recognised literary critic.
The Vienna-born screenplay and theatre author Verena Kurth worked as a dramaturg at Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna, Schauspielhaus Zürich, the Vienna State Opera, Salzburg Festival, and with the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF). For “Die (irr)witzige und (halb)seidene Karriere des Fräulein Erna”, Kurth transformed the novel “Karriere” by Robert Neumann into a dashing theatre piece. Verena Kurth has been living and working in Berlin since 2002.
Rupert Henning, born in Klagenfurt/Austria, lives as a freelance author, actor, and theatre and film director in Vienna. Henning has been involved in over 70 theatre productions as director, actor, dramaturge, and/or author. Furthermore, he wrote numerous award-winning film scripts for cinema and television film productions, both in Austria and abroad. His theatre pieces have been performed on a wide range of German-language stages. Henning is one of the founding members of the Akademie des Österreichischen Films, since 2005 a member of the project committee of the Austrian Film Institute, and since 2008 a board member of the Association of Austrian Directors.
VENUE
Dorothy B. Williams Theatre
HERE
145 Sixth Ave. (enter on Dominick Street one block south of Spring),
New York, NY 10013
Tickets are $25, and can be purchased via the HERE website, or by calling the box office at 212.352.3101