Sandra Hüller is the Virgin Queen, the star of the evening, the sole and unique interpreter, surrounded by an army of dolls. Ms Hüller studied at the “Ernst Busch” academy in Berlin, later performing in Jena, Leipzig, Basle and Munich. Sudden fame came with Hans-Christian Schmid’s film "Requiem". Her interpretation of a young epileptic won her the Silver Bear and the German Film Award.
VIRGIN QUEEN is Sandra Hüller’s debut on the Berlin stage. Director Claudia Bauer was able to win Sandra Hüller over for this project. Claudia Bauer developed a play about Queen Elizabeth I, about the language of power, about women’s bodies and, last but not least, about divas:
Elizabeth I of England. Bastard princess. Queen. Politician. Diplomat. Diva. Icon. Eternal virgin. Goddess.
Her father, Henry VIII, declared her a bastard; her sister, the notorious Queen “Bloody” Mary accused her of high treason; she was almost sentenced to death, and ultimately crowned Queen of England nonetheless. Her 45-year long reign is referred to as “the Golden Age”.
Her sustained success relied on her perfect sense of self-marketing. Her entire c.v. is high-end image design. Edmund Spenser wrote: “She carries two personalities in herself, that of a most royal sovereign and that of a most virtuous beautiful lady” and made reference to “the two bodies of the Queen”, to the difference between the biological body of the real person on the one hand and the symbolic body of the crowned dignitary on the other. These two bodies of the sovereign are distinctly related to the dual body of an actor, which also consists of a combination of a real person and the embodiment of a character. There is thus a direct line leading from that Queen to present day female politicians, but also to movie stars, to divas.
With: Sandra Hüller, Nils Dreschke, Sebastian Fortak and Lars Frank
Directed by: Claudia Bauer
Artistic consulting: Rainald Grebe
Staged by: Hendrik Scheel
Costumes: Daria Kornysheva
Dolls: Hagen Tilp
Music: Sebastian Herzfeld
A co-production of Theater, Oper und Orchester GmbH Halle / Puppentheater Halle [Halle Puppet Theatre], the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz and the Staatstheater Stuttgart, Schauspiel Stuttgart
With: Sandra Hüller, Nils Dreschke, Sebastian Fortak and Lars Frank
Director: Claudia Bauer
Art Direction: Rainald Grebe
Stage Designer: Hendrik Scheel
Costumes: Daria Kornysheva
Stage and Costumes Supplier: Hagen Tilp
Music: Sebastian Herzfeld
