From September 4, 2008 through September 14, 2008, Pangs Theater will perform SONDERKOMMANDO, a modern multidisciplinary performance about the human experience, as part of the San Francisco Fringe Festival.
SONDERKOMMANDO features the poetry of Georg Trakl, one of the most notable Austrian expressionistic poets, whose admirers include Franz Kafka, Rainier Maria Rilke, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein has said of Trakl's poetry that it has “the tone of true genius." Trakl being a tragic yet remarkably talented figure unable to overcome his suffering and mental illness, presents uncommonly moving poetry offering images of darkness.
Using modern and classical dance, the performance of Trakl's hauting poetry, and ancient text, SONDERKOMMANDO seeks to get to the heart of the experience of humanity.
SONDERKOMMANDO tells the story of a man tormented by the time and circumstances of his life, as well as by three Dybbuks, malevolent possessing spirits who under the system of Kabbalah and folklore are the dislocated souls of a dead persons. Dybbuks wander, unable to enter Heaven or Hell, seeking to posses a human body so as to accomplish the function they were unable to complete during their lifetime. In SONDERKOMMANDO, the Dybbuks torment the leading man, the Sonderkommando, telling him the truth about his suffering.
Pangs Theater Ensemble is a performance company founded in San Francisco in 2004 producing modern multidisciplinary work and classics. Its work is marked by a physical style of performance and direction, as well as its incorporation of historical and modern elements into its productions. Even classics are presented applying a physical, multidisciplinary approach, including a strong focus on choreography, patterns of body movement, and exploration of the physical space among the characters. Pangs Theater Ensemble's physical approach is developed by its Artistic Director Wolfgang Thompson. Pangs Theater Ensemble is a member of Theatre Bay Area and B.A.P.S.T.
One of Pangs Theater's goals being to promote multidisciplinary performance in an effort to advance freedom of expression in the arts, the Fringe Festival is a fantastic venue for this venture.
For more information please visit www.pangstheatrer.com
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