alphabet
by Inger Christensen
Translated from the Danish by Hanns Grössel
Directed by Thom Luz
World premiere on 6/3/2026 at the Schauspielhaus
A zero point. A crisis. A loss of self in the illegibility of the world. From profound uncertainty – as an act of rescue – emerged one of the most important poems of the 20th century: "alphabet" by the Danish poet Inger Christensen.
Like “someone who, after an epistemological accident, has to painstakingly relearn how to speak” (Durs Grünbein), the poet begins to collect words, arranges them lexically, and subjects them to a mathematical structure, the Fibonacci sequence. It is the sequence with which almost all growth in nature can be described. Where previously there was nothing, Christensen, through the small, recurring formula “there is,” allows the world to emerge line by line—from the apricot tree to the narwhal, from the individual chemical element to Halley's Comet. Thus, in our presence, existence unfolds, manifests itself, takes up space, expands into the universe, touches infinity. The physical and the psychological merge, connections arise, and dissolve. “alphabet” is a hymn to life in the face of death, a vehement assertion of existence in the face of the potential annihilation of which humanity has made itself capable. It is not only the poetic force that distinguishes this lyric poet, but also her keen sense of the present.
Swiss theatre artist Thom Luz takes on this century-old poem to transform it for the first time on a theatre stage into a soundscape permeated by music – playful and sad, fleeting, full of quiet humor, with magically beautiful theatrical images and three outstanding actresses from three generations.
With: Alberta von Poelnitz, Ilse Ritter and Julia Wieninger
Musicians: Stephan Krause, Ling Zhang and Peter Conradin Zumthor
Directed and designed by Thom Luz
Stage collaboration: Malte Knipping
Costumes: Sophie Leypold
Musical direction: Peter Conradin Zumthor
Lighting: Jan Vater
Dramaturgy: Judith Gerstenberg
