''Fireface'' (original German title: ''Feuergesicht'') is a
play by
Marius von Mayenburg, written in 1997 and first performed in 1998 at the
Munich Kammerspiele
The Munich Kammerspiele (German: Münchner Kammerspiele) is a state-funded German-language theater company based at the ''Schauspielhaus'' on Maximilianstrasse in the Bavarian capital. The company currently has three venues: the main stage of ...
. This play was the breakthrough of von Mayenburg as a new
dramatist.
As well as two more performances in Germany (Kleist Theater in
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (), is a city in the German state of Brandenburg. It has around 57,000 inhabitants, is one of the easternmost cities in Germany, the fourth-largest city in Brandenburg, and the largest German ...
, Deutsches Schauspielhaus in
Hamburg), ''Fireface'' has been performed all over the world, including the
Royal Court Theatre in
London. It was produced during the Festival/Tokyo 09 autumn festival in March 2009, directed by Shu Matsui.
[Festival/Tokyo press release]
{Dead link, date=December 2019 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Retrieved on 2009-07-27.
The play is about the
claustrophobic
Claustrophobia is the fear of confined spaces. It can be triggered by many situations or stimuli, including elevators, especially when crowded to capacity, windowless rooms, and hotel rooms with closed doors and sealed windows. Even bedrooms with ...
feelings of the new generation, their fear of growing up and being like their parents, and about
pyromania.
Kurt and Olga are brother and sister in an
incestous relationship, living in a 'normal' family with their parents. Kurt is totally obsessed with fire. When Olga starts a relationship with another boy, Paul, Kurt's obsession begins to become dangerous. The parents don't want to see this danger and at the end they are killed by Kurt. When Olga finally chooses to live with Paul, Kurt burns himself.
References
German plays
1998 plays