Monika Dobrowlanska, Catherine Annis, Paolo Bignamini TIRESIAS NEVER MADE IT TO NEW YORK

TraNet Festival: Clashing Classics. Multilingualism on Stage. Second Edition

The play explores themes such as identity, the search for meaning and the quest for a better life in an absurd world, in a profound yet humorous way. Inspired by T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, the production uses modern streaming technology to link three stages in Berlin, Avignon and Milan. The plot is set in an imaginary theatre serving as emergency accommodation. Teiresias, a mythological figure, lives and works there as a security guard due to the difficult housing situation in Berlin. With the help of ChatGPT, he plans a trip to New York, but soon realises that he could run into a lot of trouble there… The use of holograms reflects the blurring of boundaries between reality and fiction. Parallel stories of Minerva and Tom in Avignon, and of an actress and her assistant in Milan, shed light on the tensions between art and life.
Following the performance on 29 May 2026, a transnational audience discussion will take place for a small group of up to 15 spectators, featuring audience members from Avignon and Milan.

With Alex Lee (Berlin), Anaïs Gabay (Avignon), Martina Ribera Saavedra (Avignon), Patrick Séminor (Avignon), Annig Raimondi (Milan), Anna Germani (Milan)
Dramaturgy Paolo Bignamini, Monika Dobrowlanska
Adaptation by Paolo Bignamini
Directed by Monika Dobrowlanska (Berlin), Helen Landau (Avignon), Annig Raimondi (Milan)
Video and stage design Yukihiro Ikutani (Berlin), Katja Skladmann (Berlin), Fulvio Michelazzi (Milan)
Costumes Katja Skladmann (Berlin), Nir Lagziel (Milan)
Sound and lighting José Joilan (Avignon), Fulvio Michelazzi (Milan), Maurizio Pisati (Milan)
Music Maurizio Pisati (Milan)
Assistant Director Elisabetta Miracoli (Milan)
Live streaming and audiovisual production Lorenzo Mosna (IULM University, Milan)
Surtitles IULM University (Milan)
Project assistant Valentina Citterio (University of Avignon)
TraNet project coordination Paola Ranzini (University of Avignon)
Co-production multicultural city e.V. (Berlin), Association au Chapeau Rouge (Avignon), PACTA. dei Teatri (Milan)
Funded by the European Union
Supported by theaterhaus Berlin, Polish Institute Berlin & Goethe-Institut Berlin

Languages German, English, Italian, French with German surtitles; suitable for people with hearing impairments