Theater Productions

  • 2010 - Die Hamletmaschine
  • 2006 - Bertolt Brecht's Lesebuch für Städtebewohner  Reader for City-Dwellers
  • 2004 - Auferstehung in Spoon River (Resurrection in Spoon River)

Die Hamletmaschine (2010 GLL Theater Production)

The performance took place at the US Bank Conference Theater on the first floor of the Ohio Union on the main campus of the Ohio State University in Columbus on May 16, 2010 at 4:00 pm.

Directed by Artist-in-Residence Alexander Stillmark
Berliner Ensemble, Deutsches Theater Berlin,
Board-Member of the International Theatre Institute of Germany


Bertolt Brecht's Lesebuch für Städtebewohner
Reader for City-Dwellers  (2006 GLL Theater Production)

These performances took place at the Roy Bowen Theatre in the Drake Union on the main campus of the Ohio State University in Columbus on: May 24, 25, and 26, 2006.

Directed by Artist-in-Residence Alexander Stillmark (Berliner Ensemble, Deutsches Theater Berlin,
Board-Member of the International Theatre Institute of Germany)

Flyer


Auferstehung in Spoon River (Resurrection in Spoon River) - 2004 GLL Theater Production

An adaptation of Edgar Lee Masters' "Spoon River Anthology"

  • Tuesday, May 25, 2004
  • Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - Sold Out!
  • Thursday, May 27, 2004 - Sold Out!

"Spoon River ist das Modell der amerikanischen Gesellschaft im 19. Jahrhundert. Aber dieses Modell macht uns deutlich, dass die zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen und ihre Art heute nicht anders sind."

"Spoon River is the model of American society as it was in the 19. century. But this model makes it clear to us that interpersonal relationships and human nature are no different in today's America."
- Yüksel Pazarkaya

Directed by Yüksel Pazarkaya and performed in German and English by:

Amanda Babbitt as Margaret Fuller Slacks and Nancy Knapp

"Sex is the curse of life!"
Margaret Fuller Slacks had dreams bigger than Spoon River – that is until she met John Slack, the rich pharmacist. He promised her a future of her own – then extinguished it with domesticity and eight children just as quickly. Her bitter warning rings from the hill.

Erol Boran as Pastor Lemuel Wiley, Thomas Rhodes and Reuben Pantier

"Ihr Segler in eingebildeten Hähen, verweht von jedem wechselnden Wind"
Thomas Rhodes' Rolle faszinierte mich, da ich mir lange überhaupt nicht erklären konnte, was der Typ eigentlich will. Als ich es dann endlich begriff, musste ich lauthals lachen: Dieses gesponserte Muttersähnchen mit der großen Klappe, dieser selbst ernannte Bodenständige, der Hasstiraden gegen künstlerisch Veranlagte richtet -- ist selbst weitaus poetischer als jene, die er angreift. Ob er die Ironie bemerkt? Tick-tick, tick-tick!

Marlis Fischer as Archibald Higbee, Photographer Penniwit, and Mrs. Reece

"Ich verlor meine Kundschaft in Spoon River, weil ich der Kamera meinen Geist aufzwingen wollte, um die Seele meiner Modelle einzufangen."
Photograf Penniwit sees photography as a new form of art. Rather than taking the typical portrait of his clients dressed in their Sunday best, he seeks to capture the essence of their personality, even if unflattering. He is willing to sacrifice profit for art.

Ingrid Fraser as Mrs. Merritt and Emily Sparks

"I, the teacher, the old maid, the virgin heart who made them all my children."
Emily Sparks is my favorite because she is the character with the most depth, and is therefore a challenge to play. She is a women who has dedicated her life to her students and lives everyday thinking about them, wondering if she guided them in the right direction. There is a lot of merit and sadness in someone who dedicates their life to other people and was unable to let anyone love her.

Claudia Galberg as Chase Henry, Jonathan Swift Somers, and Benjamin Pantier

"Einspruch! Das hat mit der Sache nichts zu tun. Das ist der Versuch, die Geschworenen auf emotionale Fährte zu locken!"
Irgendwie glaube ich, dass dieser Satz mein Prüfstein für eine Ueberzeugende Darstellung des Rechts-anwalts Somers sein wird. Wie oft habe ich ihn während der Proben vergessen oder total entstellt! Ich hoffe, dass mein Angeklager Barry Wray Holden mir auf die Sprünge helfen wird, falls ich ihn wieder vergessen sollte. Aber vielleicht sollte ich keine Unterstützung von ihm erwarten, will ich ihn doch hinter Gitter bringen. Und da ist auch noch Richter Arnett, die dafür sorgt, das ich mich bei diesen Bemühungen im Rahmen des Gesetzes bewege...

Anja Heidenreich as Mrs. Bliss, "Butch" Weldy, and Kinsey Keene

"Und herunter kam ich mit gebrochenen Beinen und Augen, die wie Spiegeleier gebacken waren."
Butch Weldy, ein Mann der Arbeiterklasse, schien unbeschwert seinem Alltag in der Konservenfabrik nachzugehen, als der Benzintank explodierte und er verbrannte. Sein Unglück wurde mein Glück, denn Weldys Liebe zum Detail hinterlies ein klares Bild in meinem Kopf, das mir half, sich in seinen Charakter hineinzuversetzen und seinen Schmerz nachzuempfinden."

Ruth Kershaw as Jones the violinist, A.D. Blood, and Blind Jack

"Was siehst du? Schnittreifen Klee, eine Wiese, durch die der Pfad zum Fluss führt?"
Jones, the violinist, is my favorite character because he does not see the world as others do, I do not think he is „seeing" the world at all. He senses the world primarily through sounds. His role at the beginning of the play is to set the scene and he does this with sounds instead of actions. It is a different way to make the audience begin to think about the set. This is especially important when we have very little actual set to work with.

Annett Krause as Judge Arnett

„Die Geschworenen haben befunden: Mrs. Merritt ist schuldig, Elmar Karr schuldig der Beihilfe!"
Dieses Gefühl von Macht gepaart mit Würde und Verantwortung haben mich an der Person des Richters Arnett fasziniert – obwohl ich nie ein Richter würde sein wollen. Hinzu kommt, dass ich in dieser Rolle meine bei einigen Gelegenheiten als zu laut empfundene Stimme einmal in vollem Maße einsetzen kann, um im Gerichtssaal für Ruhe zu sorgen. Und das ich dazu noch mit dem Richterhammer agieren darf, ist das I-Tüpfelchen.

Elisabeth Tate as Tom Merritt and Mrs. Pantier

"Und dann stell dir vor, du bist eine wohlgeschaffene Frau."
Having played "pants roles" in various opera works and Shakespeare plays and being a tom boy most of my life, I found it more challnging to play Mrs. Benjamin Pantier rather than Tom Merritt. Mrs. Pantier is a disgruntled house wife. It seems that her initial love for her husband quckly disapated and she feels as though she has wasted her youth and not truly experienced passion in her life. She is a "wohlgeschaffene Frau" which translates to a stacked chick and she is trapped in a stifeling relationship. Ugh!

Charlie "tick-tick" Vannette as Elmer Karr, Petit the Poet, and Jack McGuire

"Der Handel kam zustande. Ich saß meine Zeit im Gefängnis ab und lernte dort lesen und schreiben."
Ich spiele Jack McGuire und an dem ist nichts Besonderes. Er ist ein ungebildeter Kerl, ein Streuner wider Willen. „Er ist aus dem Gefängnis, wo er wegen Aelterer Vorfälle saß, ... und will anständig sein." - Düblin

 

Wray Withers as Nicolas Bindle, Barry Holden, and Whedon the Editor

Gleich wieder ging ihr Gezeter los wegen der verpfandeten Farm und ich ... erschlug sie!

Barry Holden, a farmer driven to murder by his desperate family situation and financial troubles, pleads his case before the court in Spoon River. He has seen the wealthy Doctor Duval go free, after murdering his pregnant lover, but realizes no circumstance proves his guilt in the eyes of the court more than poverty.

Special Thanks to our Crew:
Jose Macian (Lights)
Rebecca Basye (Layout)
Kathryn Voss (Video Taping)
and a big thank you to our Department of Theatre!

An interview with the Director of
Auferstehung in Spoon River (Resurrection in Spoon River)

An adaptation of Edgar Lee Masters' "Spoon River Anthology"

„Spoon River ist das Modell der amerikanischen Gesellschaft im 19. Jahrhundert. Aber dieses Modell macht uns deutlich, dass die zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen und ihre Art heute nicht anders sind."
(Yüksel Pazarkaya)

Yüksel, why did you decide on this play?

Spoon River was a dream of my youth. I was able to get my hands on the German translation in 1959 and I was very impressed by the work. I then began to write poems in that way. Two of them were published in Irrwege. I was constantly occupied by the thought of making a radio play or stage production out of the text. Forty-five years after my first involvement with Spoon River, I have finally been able to put this idea into effect.

How did this piece challenge you as a director?

This piece doesn't have a classical structure, that is to say, not the dramaturgical structure of a modern play. There are epitaphs in the first person by the dead about their own lives. From these, I had to make a selection that made sense dramaturgically. Those selected were not taken arbitrarily, but one could have drawn a number of variations from the 246 texts.

How was it to work with OSU students on this play?

I had very positive experiences. Especially in my youth, I had a lot of experience with theater and I have seldom observed such commitment. The students are very interested in this work and it is a valuable experience for them. This isn't necessarily about a professional performance, nor should it be an amateur one. It is not an amateur production, and that is the reward for the students, who are involved with the whole matter.

What positive memories will you take home with you?

Personal as well as collective history is made of nothing but memories. My first days here have already become memory. The most pleasant thing was that my first steps here were made very simple. There was a lot of help and support for me. It was an exciting time for someone who does not teach and direct plays constantly, in which I was able to find the connection to activity in the classroom and theater work again. I am still in the middle of this project, but in any case it has been an invigorating time for new and different experiences.

Regiearbeiten

  • Harold Pinter - Birthday Party. Stuttgart 1964
  • Cahit Atay - Black Memets. Stuttgart 1964
  • Slawomir Mrozek - Striptease. Stuttgart 1966
  • Turan Oflazoglu - Keziban. Stuttgart 1966
  • Rene de Obaldia - Nitrogen. Stuttgart 1967
  • Nazim Higmet - Damokle's Sword. Stuttgart 1968
  • Jochen Ziem - Preports from Province. Schwäbisch Hall 1968
  • Bertolt Brecht - The Infliction. Stuttgart 1969
  • Bertolt Brecht - Draft of Fish. Schwäbisch Hall 1969
  • Bertolt Brecht - Philistine Marriage. Schwäbisch Hall 1969, Princeton 1989

Eigene Stücke in Deutschland und der Türkei aufgeführt
Serien-Drehbuch für das Deutsche Fernsehen
Theaterkritiken in Deutschland und der Türkei
Buch: „Die Dramaturgie des Einakters in der deutschen Literatur des 18. Jahrhunderts." Göppingen 1973.