»Zirkus Kafka« von Roy Chen

In the organizer's words:

by Roy Chen // Director: Dor Aloni

Franz Kafka died on June 3, 1924. In his will, he instructed his close friend Max Brod to burn all his manuscripts. However, "A Hunger Artist", a small collection of four stories, had just been published by the author.
For Kafka, this was his last book. But Max Brod decided to publish further writings as well as diaries and personal letters instead of fulfilling the will - and helped Kafka to achieve world fame posthumously. Max betrayed his friend, but remained true to art. Was he right to do so?

In Roy Chen's play for Schauspiel Frankfurt, the characters from Kafka's last book claim their place in history. They are four circus performers, not particularly successful, but undeniably unique. They reflect the sacrifices that art demands of artists: does an artist always have to be hungry? How extensively must the monster called the audience be fed before it is satisfied? Where is the boundary between stage and private life? Is it even possible to make art without sacrificing your own life for it?

In this collaboration, director Dor Aloni, who lives in Germany, and author Roy Chen, who is well-known in Israel, delve into the universe of Franz Kafka and find characters who negotiate questions of morality, fame, identity and belonging in their confrontation with their art.

Made possible by the Patronage Association.