Dionysos hat Angst

Son of Zeus, god of intoxication and ecstasy, of wine and madness, drowner of sorrows and patron saint of artists – in his latest production, actor Peter Trabner explores the mythological figure of Dionysus. Following the asphalt premieres of “The Death of Empedocles” (2020) and “The Life of Diogenes” (2022), this is the third play in his “Environmental Theatre” series, in which Peter Trabner uses ancient Greek philosophers as a starting point to shed light on his role as an actor in the context of the challenges of the present day.

With “The Death of Empedocles”, Trabner delivered a gripping play about the climate crisis and environmental destruction, while “The Life of Diogenes” took a critical look at our consumer society. Now the stage character Peter Trabner – challenger of boundaries, chaos clown, theatre actor – approaches the demigod Dionysus, who stands for total devotion to life like no other. He wants more: more pleasure, more possessions, more ecstasy, to become supernatural. But then he is gripped by fear. Do enthusiasm, passion, play, devotion, joy and love ultimately lead to a loss of control? And is it not this loss of security that can intensify fears and lead to isolation? Does human freedom lie in having or being, or even in sharing?

Trabner is an elemental force on stage and has an incredible talent for improvisation. His brilliant one-man shows are rousing, funny, clever and bursting with spontaneity. The multiple award-winning actor, theatre producer and performance artist is a sought-after film and TV actor (including “Tatort”, “Babylon Berlin”, “Polizeiruf Rostock”). He works interdisciplinary in the fields of dance, theatre and performance. His screenplay for the TV film “Alki Alki” was nominated for the Grimme Prize in 2017, and his leading role in the production also earned him a nomination for Best Male Actor at the German Film Critics’ Award. The feature film “Stumm vor Schreck”, starring Annette Frier and Peter Trabner, won the Critics’ Award at the Hof 2022 film festival, among others. One of the disciplines Trabner focuses on in his artistic work is free improvisation, which he also teaches as a lecturer at various drama schools.

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