Desire: Gier unter Ulmen

In the organizer's words:

Play by Eugene O'Neill / German by Alexander F. Hoffmann and Hannelene Limpach / ages 14 and up

Ephraim Cabot sees himself as the creator of a life's work, a farm in New England that he has painstakingly built up. He leads his sons with a firm hand, convinced that discipline is the foundation of success. But instead of leaving the legacy to them, he brings the young and charismatic Abbie into their midst as his new wife. For the older brothers, who turn their backs on the prospect of an inheritance, the promised land lies in California.

For Eben, the youngest son, an intense inner conflict begins. In Abbie, he sees both a rival and an irresistible ally. She is pursuing her own claims to the farm, and Eben feels compelled to defend his inheritance with all his might. The burgeoning tension and attraction between the peers leads to the son becoming increasingly competitive with his father, who is determined to maintain his control to the death. Passion and conflict combine to create an explosive mixture that causes events to escalate.
In "Desire", which premiered in New York in 1924, Nobel Prize winner Eugene O'Neill exposes the dark side of individualism and the American dream. The characters fight fiercely for power and possessions, while repressed desires and a lack of empathy drive them further and further apart.

Please note that there is a trigger warning for this production, which you can read here.

Performance rights: S. Fischer Verlag GmbH. Frankfurt am Main