Returning to Christchurch for a brief season before going on to the 2009 Dunedin Fringe, Free Theatre Christchurch is restaging two works from its repertoire: Ella and Susn.

Originally presented in 2004 in Christchurch, Ella and Susn continue the company’s 2009 season after a successful North Island tour of the award-winning* Faust Chroma.

Again directed by Peter Falkenberg, these plays by radical German playwright Herbert Achternbusch present rarely heard voices from the margins of society. In Ella a man, dressed in his mother’s clothes (á la Hitchcock’s Psycho), tells the story of his mother, abused and institutionalised. In Susn a young woman confesses to her priest how her first sexual experiences have caused her to want to leave the church.                           

In staging these works, Free Theatre Christchurch continues a 25-year reputation for presenting rarely staged plays. As with Faust Chroma, Ella and Susn were translated by the director and presented in English for the first time by the Free Theatre.

This production has received particular attention for its unusual narrative style and “rich, satisfying prose” (The Press), which is a feature of Achternbusch’s unconventional and challenging work as a playwright, novelist, filmmaker, actor and painter.

Despite being one of the most prolific artists of the past forty years, he remains largely unknown. His obscurity is primarily due to his unwillingness to adhere to the norms of art and society, most exemplified when he set fire to an art reward he received: a $20,000 cheque.

*Best Theatre, Dunedin Fringe Festival 2008; Best Production Design, Wellington Fringe Festival 2009

Wednesday 25 March – Saturday 28 March 8pm,
Old Queen’s Theatre, 120 Hereford St, Christchurch
Wednesday 1 April – Saturday 4 April 8.30pm
The Globe Theatre, 104 London St, Dunedin
To book please contact Te Puna Toi: 03 3653159

“Achternbusch’s feast of delights… theatrical paintings, three-dimensional and verbal… Ella and Susn showed us the depth of creativity that so often distinguishes the work of Peter Falkenberg” The Press

“…the kind of theatre that keeps you thinking and wanting to talk about it… gritty, provocative and stylish” The Christchurch Star

“There is only one thing left to say, really, and that is: if you ever get the chance to see Free Theatre, grab it without hesitation. They produce theatre the way it should be and you will not be disappointed” The Critic

www.freetheatre.org.nz