Mahler & Kokoschka

Custom made for Amsterdam theatre Bellevue’s ‘lunch theatre’-series, the piece ‘Mahler & Kokoschka’ was conceived. Writer Hannah van Wieringen based the text for this production on the short lived relationship between Alma Mahler and painter Oskar Kokoschka. In short and intense scenes she describes how this affair turned both their lives up side down for a long time after the fact.

Those images reminded light designer Floriaan Ganzevoort of looking at slides and photos of holidays from long ago. The lighting design was therefore largely created by means of an old slide projector. The scenes were separated by the click and the short darkness of changing the slides in the projector. Slides were printed especially for the performance. Abstract images of old studios and vintage postcards of Lake Como, where part of the performance takes place, were used. When Mahler ends the relationship the last slide burns out until only a white projection remains.

Director: Ulrike Quade
Actors/Puppeteers: Aafke Buringh en Marijn Klaver
Dramaturgy: Thomas Lamers
Compositions: Strijbos & Van Rijswijk
Set design: Ruben Wijnstok
Light design: Floriaan Ganzevoort
Technician: Jan Sol