Thierse versus Thierse
Süddeutsche Zeitung, Hamm, 14.03.2002, 2559 Chars
THIERSE VERSUS THIERSE
Why the old Bonn has to make fun of the new Berlin
Once upon a time Bonn was very big, the big word for the big news – every day from dusk to dawn. Until it was only severely decapitated, but also decapitalised and politically castrated save a few ministral appendices. They took almost everything away from this Bonn. This may be the reason that why it may once again be host for the festival “Theater der Welt” this June. However, it stands in competition with the other hosts, Düsseldorf, Duisburg and Köln.
Of course, the city senses its chance to be big for the last time. Since Bonn still houses the big stages, such as the parliamentary stage - the Behnisch Building which was completed right before the end - , it can plausible act as if politics were still debated made here. Rimini Protokoll plans a project called ‘Deutschland 2’, a parliament-performance delayed only by two seconds from the Berlin original to take place at the former parliamentary hall of debate. The Bonn-speakers convey the Berlin debates simultaneously via headphones to a Bonn audience, and may possibly even in front of running cameras.
‚Deutschland 2‘ represents the representation: “The people represent the representatives of the people”. Since the casting has been very successful it is very likely that the parliament is full up to the last seat, a rare kind of a people’s assembly. The old Bonn would certainly outdo the new Berlin easily, and nobody knows what kind of fears this picture of the moment with its 669 heads could provoke in the inferiors. At any rate, the original president of parliament Thierse wrote a trouble letter to the original mayor Bärbel Diekmann and complains that:” the honour and respect of the German Parliament is affected through this particular order of events”. Presumably, this means: Seat of Government – never! However, the copy of the original always poses the most tricky questions. For instance, it asks after the degree of political theatricality, after authenticity and fake. Just as the copy of Goethe’s garden-house in Weimar showed in the European Year of Culture 1999. Here, critics also saw the honour at risk. But they had to recognise that it was the doubled house, which made clear what honour really is.
Even if Thierse 1 insists on his rejection, Thierse 2 won’t be able to stop it. After all, someone has to stand up front and send the people home.
Hamm
Theatre-people want to fill the ranks again: Delegates after the last session of parliament in Bonn, July 1st 1999. Photograph: dpa
Zugehörige Projekte
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