Total Refusal & Theater im Bahnhof

An evening at the theatre in a video game: With the help of several gaming laptops and under live direction, the Viennese media guerrilla group Total Refusal and the Theater im Bahnhof collective create a captivating performance in front of the audience. The focus is on the figure of a tired hero who wants to live a secluded life in the mountains of a video game — a contrast program to the typical, eternally young and motivated avatar. Because while the main characters of video games usually start out as young newcomers and learn to dominate the world over the course of the game, their bodies know neither age nor frailty, illness or listlessness. But what if the avatar is old, weak in decision and unmotivated? When he is tired of an excess of stimuli, impulses and information and is actually too exhausted to take care of his quests?

The dream of retiring to a simpler life in nature is as old as capitalism itself. And yet, in times of climate collapse and disastrous tech fascism, it is more tempting than ever. Tiredness and exhaustion are omnipresent and permanent symptoms of permanently ill economic logic. The video game becomes a place of retreat, a digital hut on the digital lake: a safe space and a reliable promise of distraction and adventure. A story about escape from reality and exhaustion, about aging and fatigue — and about the question of what superpowers a hero who no longer wants to fight could develop.

By & with: Jacob Banigan, Susanna Flock, Johanna Hierzegger, Lorenz Kabas, Robin Klengel, Moke Rudolf-Klengel/ Concept, Text: Theater im Bahnhof, Total Refusal/Stage, Live Editing: Johanna Hierzegger/ Technology, Sound Design: Moke Rudolf-Klengel/ Light Design: Martin Schneebacher/Modding: RCPisAwesome/Director: Monika Klengel/ Idea: Monika Klengel/ Idea: Monika Klengel/ Idea: Monika Klengel/ Idea: Monika Klengel/ Idea: Monika Klengel/ Idea: Monika Klengel/ Idea: Monika Klengel/ Idea: Monika Klengel/ Idea: Monika Klengel/ Idea: Monika KlengelKa Klengel, Robin Klengel

HAU3 is unfortunately not barrier-free. The theatre is accessible via the stairwell (3rd floor). So that we can offer optimal service under these circumstances, please contact our ticketing & service team at +49 (0) 30 259004-27 or by email at tickets@hebbel-am-ufer.de.