"Breakthrough in the Alps

Author: (Austria) Jelinek / Zeng Qiming et al
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The play is set against the backdrop of a major tragedy in the world when a train caught fire in Austria on October 11, 2000, resulting in 150 deaths. The authors bring the victims back to life, staging them on stage alongside rescue workers to express their views on life and death. This serves to criticize the notion of technological omnipotence and the blind risks of competitive sports, pointing out that humanity's exploitation and disdain for itself will inevitably lead to irreparable disasters. The book also includes five other readable prose plays by the author that subvert traditional theater conventions. Jelinek's play is not actually a play but "words to be told," having been liberated from the tyranny of theatrical roles. Directors are astonished to discover that she has handed them nothing less than a declaration of liberation for theater. The Soul's Descent to the Alps is set against the backdrop of the same train fire in Austria on October 11, 2000, which caused 150 deaths. The authors bring the victims back to life, staging them on stage alongside rescue workers to express their views on life and death. This serves to criticize the notion of technological omnipotence and the blind risks of competitive sports, pointing out that humanity's exploitation and disdain for itself will inevitably lead to irreparable disasters. The book also includes five other readable prose plays by the author that subvert traditional theater conventions.