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In Hereafter, author and filmmaker Werner Fritsch, described by the German magazine Der Spiegel as
“Germany’s boldest poet”, dares to go deep down into the soulscape of a man who all his life was under the spell of the underworld.

Wolf “Sexmachine” Bold, who is a suspect for the murder of his wife Cora, the mother of his son Felix, is beyond reality and hallucination, perhaps even beyond his own body. Before the police can arrest him he is threatened by somebody hiding behind a carnival mask of Hitler and holding a revolver to his head. But who is the man behind the mask? Director Peter Falkenberg has translated and adapted this radical monologue in which a man reflects in seconds of horror on what remains in his memory and what dominates our pictures of sex and violence.

Hereafter uses video to provide a Christchurch context from an underworld point of view and juxtaposes the often inarticulate male voice with a female singing voice and double-bass that comment upon, balance, counteract and provide an emotional subtext to the production. This project is a continuation of the collaboration between Fritsch and Free Theatre that in 2008 led to Faust Chroma, nominated for Most Original Production at the 2009 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards and described by Radio New Zealand’s Lynn Freeman as “mindblowing”, “gutsy” and “quite unlike anything I’ve seen before”.

In cooperation with the Goethe-Institut, Werner Fritsch will be resident in Christchurch during the development of this work and for its premiere on February 22nd at The Tannery when he will be present for a post-show discussion. During his stay, Fritsch will again be hosted by Te Puna Toi (Theatre and Film Studies, UC), which is organizing a preview of Fritsch’s film Faust Sonnengesang.

For bookings ph. 0800 327 484 / www.dashtickets.co.nz. Booking fees may apply. Tickets: $30/$18. Content may offend. Cassels & Sons cash bar on site.

Free Theatre Christchurch is an award winning experimental theatre company. It has been a major contributor to performance culture in New Zealand and played an important role in the Christchurch community. “For quarter of a century Free Theatre has refined cultural horizons and shaped Christchurch’s perceptions of contemporary theatre.” – The Press, 21 May 2008.