Angel of Destruction

Avatars | Experiment | Transience

Four actors are waiting on an abandoned film set for their shoot to begin – a remake of their blockbuster hit ‘Ghosts’. But the crew doesn’t turn up. They realise they can no longer leave the place. In this hopeless situation, the abysses of life come to the fore. The actors find themselves wondering what, if anything, is still waiting for them out there. For AI is in the process of taking over the world and shows no sign of stopping even at the gates of Hollywood. Digital doubles, algorithmic rejuvenation and the resurrection of deceased cinema greats are already reshaping the future of acting and storytelling. Are these digital ‘angels’ saviours or harbingers of doom?

Against the backdrop of this contemporary phenomenon, Jonas Bernetta’s *Engel der Vernichtung* (Angel of Destruction) adapts the plot of Luis Buñuel’s surrealist film classic *The Exterminating Angel* (1962) for the stage – a radical exploration of social taboos and the illusion of human control. Using a blend of live performance, live camera footage, digital avatars, artificial intelligence and immersive sound design, Jonas Bernetta and his team transform the stage into an enigmatic parallel world. The audience becomes part of a fascinating multimedia experiment in which the four actors perform with great skill, staking their very existence – until the boundaries between reality and fiction dissolve.

Fri 15 Jan 27 | 9.00 pm | Topic discussion

Duration: approx. 90 mins, no interval
Age: 16+
Language: German