May 1–4: Robert Wilson Theatrical Productions
24-hour stream beginning at 1pm ET (7pm CET in Hamburg, Germany)
Robert Wilson’s Hamletmachine premiered on October 4, 1986. First working with students at New York University, and later—in the original German version—with theater students in Hamburg, Hamletmachine was produced by the Thalia Theater. In 2017, the production was revived in an Italian version with acting students from the Theater Academy "Silvio d'Amico" in Rome. Written in 1977, Hamletmachine is a postmodernist drama by German playwright Heiner Müller, loosely based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Müller himself called Wilson’s version “the best production ever” of this work, praising it for its lightness and absence of interpretive staging. A 1987 recording of the piece will be available to stream by Thalia Theater for 24 hours beginning at 1pm ET on Friday, May 1.
Stream the production here.
Sunday, May 3: Shakespeare's Sonnets
23-hour stream beginning at 12pm ET (7pm EET in Craiova, Romania)
Performed by the Berliner Ensemble in 2009 to celebrate the fourth centennial of the publishing of Shakespeare's Sonnets, Robert Wilson's production is a contemporary interpretation of twenty-five sonnets from Shakespeare's cannon. Set to a sweeping score composed by Rufus Wainwright—a genre-bending mix of medieval German Minnesang, classical, pop, and cabaret rock—the sonnets were selected by dramaturge Jutta Ferbers, who deftly adapted these captivating poems that were originally unintended for the theater. For this production, Wilson's signature sculpting of time, light, and gesture combines with Wainwright's romantic, sensitive, and at times disturbingly dark score to transport audiences to a dreamlike place. Shakespeare's Sonnets will be streamed by the Marin Sorescu National Theater Craiova in Romania. The stream is available from Sunday, May 3 at 12pm ET until Monday, May 4 at 11am ET.
Stream the production here.