Autor*innenwettbewerb / Writers’ Competition Part I

The readings will take place in Zwinger 3. They will also be available to watch via livestream and on video following the events.
After each reading, there will be a discussion with the audience.

Herz-Emoji, Bizeps (Heart Emoji, Biceps) by Fayer Koch
Max is a feminist. However, when it comes to dating, his feminism doesn't seem to be particularly helpful: for years, Max has been moving from one affair to the next. Even though he doesn't admit it to his friends, he feels like a looser by now. When he meets Erika, the curse seems to be broken for a moment – but the relationship ends before it has really begun. Max comes across the so-called NoFap movement online. Their members practise abstinence from porn and masturbation in order to regain their »primordial male energy« and become more attractive – meaning more successful. Their networks reach deep into globally connected right-wing movements. Will Max here find the companionship he is longing for?
 

Gitta by Fausto Bradke
In grandparentsֹ Gitta and Michael’s living room everything seems normal, as always: Michael pretends to read, Gitta plays her mobile game. However, the superficial everyday routine gradually reveals what lies beneath Gitta and Michael's relationship: the strain of his constant forgetfulness. The decisions that by now are only made by her. Her weariness with Michael and with life itself. The daily routine between his dementia and her lethargy finally leads Gitta to make the final decision for Michael. And Gitta? She keeps on living. Longer than she had actually planned. In »Gitta«, Fausto Bradke sensitively writes about the loneliness of ageing, which doesn’t disappear by occasional visits from family, and the standstill in Gitta's living room while the world keeps turning.   
 

Hoch und immer höher (Higher and Higher) by Jara Nassar
A fragile summer in the mountains. Soufiane takes Anse to his family's house, high above Beirut. Anse is overwhelmed by the view of the city's glittering lights and by his feelings for Soufiane. Finally, the two have a whole weekend to themselves. But the fear of the imminent war is omnipresent and catapults the two back into a reality forcing them to make decisions: Anse plans to leave the country, but Soufiane doesn’t want to hear about it – he wants to build a new life on the ruins. In her play »Hoch und immer höher« (»Higher and Higher«), Jara Nassar paints a tenderly bitter portrait of a generation forced to ask themselves what is worth believing in in a country where neo-colonial violence rains down from the sky every day. 

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