Ilse Ritter

Nina and Ben have been together for many years. They have a three-year-old daughter. Their first vacation without their child leads them to the south: to Formentera. Caressed by the sun and the warm Mediterranean winds they enjoy their freedom from the necessities of everyday life. Finally they have some time on their own. But during a wild beach party the paradise turns into hell: Ben is firting with the young and beautiful Mara and at the end of the night Mara und Nina dive into the dark sea. Nina is drifted away and only just manages to get back on land on a different island. Mara, however, has gone missing… Nina and Ben are caught in a deep crisis, questioning everything they once believed in. The sunny island turns into a darkroom, rendering visible what has been concealed: doubts concerning the plans they had for their lives and a quiet grief over a reality that may only be accepted.Read More »

Ritter, Dene, Voss is a stage play by Thomas Bernhard from 1986. After the Premiere the same year at the Salzburger Festspiele under the direction of Claus Peymann, the play was taken into the repertoire of the Burgtheater in Vienna.

It was named after the three actors that were to play the roles in the world-premiere: Ilse Ritter, Kirsten Dene and Gert Voss. Thomas Bernhard started off writing it with a note saying “Ritter, Dene, Voss. intelligent actors”.
The play was inspired by the family of Ludwig Wittgenstein and his (Wittgensteins) nephew Paul, who was a friend of Bernhard and protagonist of his novel “Wittgensteins Nephew” from 1982.Read More »

Peter Stein’s production of Gorki´s SOMMERGÄSTE at the Schaubühne in December 1974 became one of the greatest theatre successes in Germany and beyond. “That’s how theatre should always be. That’s how actors should always play,” wrote Le Monde, while in England the Daily Telegraph only had a simple title: “Director of genius”. In 1975 Stein filmed the play in a new adaptation by Botho Strauß.Read More »