It is the most famous opening of any novel in modern literature. Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning transformed into a giant insect. His family's pity soon turns to alienation and aggression. The last anchors to the human sphere are the violin playing of his beloved sister and the erotically charged image of a lady in fur. Samsa's death is ultimately a relief for everyone. 
Set designer and director Manuel Gerst, a former member of the cult performance group Monster Truck, transforms Kafka's famous story into a daring theatrical event. At the center of his production is the figure of the tragic beetle, who once again enters into a process of transformation all his own. References to bachelor parties and aggression reduction in the group meet action art and destruction art, Kafka meets Ayn Rand, Joseph Beuys meets Judith Butler. Caught between the poles of injury and integrity, Kafka's parable is read here as a story about disability. The aggression toward the deformed other in the story is directed on stage toward the object.
Manuel Gerst's collective transformation increasingly reveals itself to be a coup d'artiste, a bet on art as a space for poetic experimentation. In the end, it doesn't matter what position the audience takes—the dent remains the same. Let he who is without sin cast the first apple.

«Finally, here is a theater evening that is worth thinking about for a long time to come.»  
Der Tagesspiegel

No spoken language, German and English surtitles

Duration approx. 60 min.

The beetle will be exhibited at the Tinguely Museum before (March 18-26) and after the performance (March 29-April 12).

It's The Real Thing | Basler Dokumentartage 26
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