Offending the Audience

Audience is a play by Peter Handke. It consists of an act that is not played, but spoken ( "talking piece" ) and premiered on June 8, 1966 in Frankfurt am Main in the Theater am Turm, directed by Claus Peymann.

About the piece

Handke's first speech piece is an expression of his rejection of prevailing in the 1960s, theatrical forms and their themes. In a particularly stark contrast it is to Bert Brecht's epic theater with his documentary and didactic approaches. Handke concern was to promote reflection on the theater itself. In particular, the events between performer and audience in a theater performance is at the center of his interest. To this end, the author omitted the usual elements in the theater, and returns it to: For example, the performers enter the stage from behind.

The speech rhythm of the piece partly consists of shortened sentences, appears influenced by the just arisen beat music.

Content

The Audience begins with the lines:

It occurs four unnamed persons without special costume and speak the audience sitting in the light, directly: We only talk. This says that the piece holds no plot in the traditional sense. The point is rather to deal with the theater. The performers will continue with the piece first on any individual sensibilities of the public and talk to it directly, but without it to abuse it. With the actual Publikumsbeschimpfung, which forms only the last part of the piece, is after prior admission, the performer a certain immediacy to be made ​​: the audience is titled with all sorts of unpleasant things, which in no small part specifically on recent German history between 1933 and 1945 alludes, for example, you warmongers, her subhuman. After the insults the audience is desired by the performers goodnight and clapping louder applause.

Trivia

In an interview from 2003 describes Handke's former professor Günther Winkler ( University of Vienna), Handke would once came to him and said: "You know, what I have learned from you? - The Audience " In addition, the Düsseldorf Koljah rapper named his first album on the play.

Expenditure

• Peter Handke: Audience and other hands- pieces. Frankfurt am Main:. Suhrkamp, 1966 ( Edition Suhrkamp 177) (reprint 2004, ISBN 3-518-10177-3 )