Lutz Hubner is one of the most performed playwrights in Germany since the 1990s. Maryade Prashne , the Kannada adaptation of Hubner’s play Ehrensache , by S. Surendranath is being staged at Ranga Shankara. The Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company, staged Ehrensache titled Respect , to rave reviews.
The play deals with issues faced by urban youth and of the clash of values between traditions. Lutz says the play draws from a real life experience. “In Germany, there was a case of two Turkish men, a German girl and another girl who had a Turkish father, going out that eventually led to an honour killing. Maryade Prashne has been set in Bangalore. What started out as a promise of an enjoyable road trip for four youth, ends in tragedy. There is a character who comes from the countryside, who is unaware of the ways of the city, and that results in a clash of values,” says Lutz.
Lutz was in Pune last year. “I worked with Grips Theatre for children. I developed a play with two Indian playwrights. It was there that I was invited by Surendranath and Max Mueller to come to Bangalore.” Even though Lutz was here for a short while, he says the time spent here involved, “four days of intense work”, which included attending rehearsals of Maryade Prashne and interacting with ten playwrights on playwriting and his opinions on theatre.
Lutz graduated in German Philology, Philosophy and Sociology from Münster and then started formal training in acting in 1986 at the Saarland Academy for Music and Theatre. He was awarded the German Youth Theatre Prize in 1998 for Herz eines Boxers (The Heart of a Boxer) and his plays have been translated into several languages and have been staged around the world. “I was always interested in literature and philosophy,” says Lutz. But it was his love for theatre that finally won out. His plays address social issues. “I like to focus on the pressures youth face and how adults manage to make a living.”
Reminiscing on his days as a playwright, Lutz says: “The first production is always a landmark. I wrote a monologue in 1994 and it was great to hear and see my text being performed. In 2005, I wrote a play about the breakdown of the banking system. It was then that I realised how theatre can really make a statement. In theatre you can address political and social issues in-depth.”
Research is central to his plays. “I take about half a year to work on a play. I quit acting many years ago, but acting taught me how a play is staged and the experience of being a director added to my playwriting. For writing plays, you need to have a strong feeling for economy of expression. As a playwright, you need only the things that will tell your story. It’s always necessary to be disciplined.”
Maryade Prashne , directed by S. Surendranath, will be staged today and tomorrow at 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm at Ranga Shankara.
