Brooklyn Peter Jay Sharp Building Academy 30 Lafayette Avenue of Brooklyn NY 11217-1486 Telephone: 718.636.4129 Music Fax: 718.857.2021 press@BAM .org Communications Department News Release Sandy Sawotka Fatima Kafele John Wyszniewski Matthew Yeager BAM announces the return of the Thalia Theater in Frank Wedekind's torrid drama, Lulu, directed by Michael Thalheimer BAM 25th Next Wave Festival is sponsored by Altria Group, Inc. Lulu By Frank Wedekind Thalia Theater, Hamburg Directed by Michael Thalheimer Set design by Olaf Aktmann Costume design by Barbara Drosihn Music by Bert Wrede Video design by Alexander du Prel Lighting design by Stefan Bolliger BAM Harvey Theater (651 Fulton St) Nov 27, 29, 30 and Dec 1 at 7:30pm Tickets: $20, 30, 40, 55 Performed in German with English titles BAMdialogue with Michael Thalheimer Nov 29 at 6pm BAM Rose Cinemas Tickets: $8 ($4 for Friends of BAM) Brooklyn, NY/October 18, 2007-Following the success of his U.S. directorial debut at BAM with Emilia Gaiotti (2005 Next Wave Festival), Michael Thalheimer returns with his production of Frank Wedekind's classic Lulu, featuring the renowned Thalia Theater (1993, 1995, 1997 & 2001 Next Wave Festivals). German Expressionist playwright Wedekind (Broadway's Spring Awakening is based on his play of the same name) creates the embodiment of desire in the character of Lulu. She is at once the virgin and the vamp, the femme fatale and eternally feminine- and, ultimately, both the object of attraction and repulsion. ex e Four performances of Lulu will take place in the BAM Harvey Theater (651 Fulton St) on Nov 27, 29, 30, and Dec 1 at 7:30pm. Tickets-priced at $20, 30, 40, and 55-may be purchased by calling BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 or by visiting www.BAM.org. About the production Known for paring down classic texts, Thalheimer excludes secondary characters and gratuitous subplots so as to focus on the essential core of the play: the dichotomous nature of Lulu and by extension, desire. According to Thalheimer, his approach to classics such as Lulu is to "give ... back the emotional impact they had in their day. These writers wrote their plays on the verge of a scream ... and so today it must also be about rage, about breaking boundaries, about the scream." Propelled by her appetites from one man to the next, Lulu is both oblivious to and empowered by the poisonous effect she has on men. She embodies the base instincts threatening to undermine society-thwarting its attempts to contain desire in all its forms. Thalheimer's reconceptualization of Lulu revolves around acclaimed German actress Fritzi Haberlandt, whose Lulu, according to ESlinger Zeitung, "never slips into the part of the victim or the suspect, but appears believable as an unsound and at the same time innocent being." Frank Wedekind's Lulu, intended as one work, was published in two parts: Earth Spirit (1895) and Pandora's Box (1902)--often referred to as 'the Lulu plays.' Wedekind's tragedy explores the inevitable clash of base instinct and civilization. In addition, the play is a social commentary- the sexual desire that cuts across class lines reveals the artificiality of manmade orders. About the artists Michael Thalheimer's productions are performed regularly at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg and Deutsches Theater in Berlin. His breakthrough on the German theater scene came in 2000 with his minimalist version of Ferenc Molnar's Liliom at the Thalia Theater. He has since directed a wide range of plays, such as Schnitzler's Light of Love, Lessing's Emilia Galotti, O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night, Goethe's Faust, Gerhart Hauptmann's Rose Bernd, and Jon Fosse's Sleep. His work has been seen throughout Germany as well as in New York, Moscow, Belgrade, Rome, Bogota, Mexico City, and Tokyo. In 2005, Thalheimer became the Head Director and member of the Artistic Board at the Deutsches Theater. His latest production is Gerhart Hauptmann's The Rats, performed in October 2007 at the Deutsches Theater. Thalheimer's stagings have won numerous awards, including the Innovation Award from the German public television station 3Sat for Liliom (2001), Berlin's prestigious Friedrich Luft Prize (2001), Vienna's Nestroy Prize (2002), and the coveted Russian "Golden Mask" award (2006). The Thalia Theater- founded in 1843 by Cherie Maurice-is one of the oldest theaters in Germany and one of three state-owned theaters in Hamburg. Professor Ulrich Khuon became director of the Thalia Theater in the 2000-2001 season. The Thalia Theater has a permanent ensemble of forty actors, with approximately twenty plays in its repertory-which alternate daily or are performed in short runs. In the main theater, which has 1000 seats, there are usually nine premieres each season and an additional eight are presented in the studio theater on GauBstraBe. This smaller theater has 180 seats and is located in a building complex with rehearsal stages. Thalia"s repertory features old and new theatre classics, including Shakespeare, Schiller, Goethe, Brecht, Gorki, Miller, Moliere, Sartre, Williams, as well as contemporary authors like Dea Loher, Elfriede Jelinek, Lukas Barfuss, Moritz Rinke, and Fritz Kater. Directors such as Peter Sellars, Ruth Berghaus, Robert Wilson, Tomaz E. Pandur, Andreas Kriegenburg, and Michael Thalheimer have worked at the Thalia Theater. Recently the Thalia Theater was elected "Theatre of the Year 2007" by the German journal Theater heute and its jury of theater critics. Thalia Theater productions have had performances throughout Europe, and internationally in Hong Kong, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Seoul, and Bogota. The company previously appeared at BAM with The Black Rider, a collaboration with Tom Waits, Robert Wilson, and William S. Burroughs (1993 Next Wave); Alice, a collaboration with Robert Wilson, Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan, and Paul Schmidt (1995 Next Wave); and two additional collaborations with Robert Wilson and Lou Reed-Time Rocker (1997 Next Wave) and POEtry (2001 Next Wave). About the Next Wave Festival BAM's Next Wave Festival, which enters its 25th season in 2007, has permanently changed the landscape of culture through breakout performances, landmark productions, daring experiments, and once-in-a-lifetime moments. The Festival originated as a fall series entitled "The Next Wave/New Masters." In November 1981, Philip Glass' new opera, Satyagraha, was presented as one of four productions under the Next Wave moniker. A more ambitious series followed in 1982, including a two-evening performance work by Laurie Anderson-United States: Parts I-IV. From the seeds of these two rich years grew an idea for something bolder and riskier. The Next Wave Festival, dedicated to exciting new works and cross-disciplinary collaborations by promising young artists, was launched in October 1983. Pieces that previously had been presented in downtown lofts and small "black box" theaters were staged in the exquisite 2, 100- seat BAM Opera House (later renamed the Howard Gilman Opera House), a renovated 1,000-seat playhouse (the Helen Carey Playhouse, now home to BAM Rose Cinemas), and a flexible 300- seat performance venue (the Lepercq Space). In 1987, with Peter Brook's Mahabharata, BAM opened another large stage-the 900-seat Majestic Theater-since renamed the Harvey Theater in honor of Harvey Lichtenstein (former president and executive producer). Since 1999, BAM has been led by President Karen Brooks Hopkins and Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo, who curates the Next Wave Festival and served as the producer of the inaugural festival. Credits BAM 25th Next Wave Festival is sponsored by Altria Group, Inc. Programming in the BAM Harvey Theater is endowed by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Support for Lulu is provided by Goethe-Institut New York. Leadership support for BAM Theater is provided by The Shubert Foundation, Inc., The SHS Foundation, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Francena T. Harrison Foundation Trust, with major support from Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, and additional support from Billy Rose Foundation, Inc. BAM thanks its many donors and sponsors, including: New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council; Brooklyn Delegation of the U.S. House of Representatives; Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; New York State Council on the Arts; New York State Assembly Brooklyn Delegation; The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; New York City Council; Estate of Richard B. Fisher; The Ford Foundation; The New York State Music Fund; The Starr Foundation; Visa Signature; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; Carnegie Corporation of New York; Time Warner Inc.; Booth Ferris Foundation; The Howard·Gilman Foundation; The Skirball Foundation; Cunard Line; The Kovner Foundation; The SHS Foundation; Friends of BAM & BAM Cinema Club. Sovereign Bank is the BAM Marquee sponsor. Yamaha is the official piano for BAM. RIGA is the BAM.org sponsor. New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the official hotel for BAM. General Information BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, BAMcafe, and Shakespeare & Co. BAMshop are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn's only movie house dedicated to frrst-run independent and foreign fum and repertory programming. BAMcafe, operated by Great Performances, is open for dining prior to Howard Gilman Opera House performances. BAMcafe also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music for BAMcafe Live nights on Friday and Saturday with a special BAMcafe Live menu available starting at 8pm. Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue; D, M, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue Train: Long Island Railroad to Flatbush Avenue Bus: B25, B26, B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM For ticket and BAMbus information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.