SCENA Theatre presents the U.S. East Coast premiere of MEIN KAMPF by George Tabori, a brazen black comedy running July 7 - August 19 at H St. Playhouse.
Washington, DC — July 2012 — The Directors of SCENA Theatre announce the final production of their 24th season, Mein Kampf. Only SCENA is daring enough to bring this in-your-face black comedy by George Tabori to Washington, DC. This farce tells the story of a young down and out painter named Adolf Hitler and his relationship with two Jews, Herzl and Lobkowitz in a Viennese flophouse circa 1900s. First seen in Vienna in 1987, Mein Kampf was an instant success in Europe and the hit of the 1988 Berlin Festival winning every Best Play award. SCENA is pleased to be presenting this gem of international theatre in conjunction with the 2012 Capital Fringe Festival July 12-July 29.
Mein Kampf performs at the H Street Playhouse from July 7 - August 19 and it is appropriate for audiences 16 and up. Tickets are Pay what you can during Previews, $17 during Fringe Festival, and $25 - $35 in August. Tickets may be purchased here on Scena's website or by calling 703. 683.2824. Also tickets may be bought at the H Street Playhouse one hour prior to performances. And, during Fringe Festival, you may buy tickets at CapitalFringe.org or by calling 866-811-4111.
Previews (Pay what you can) are July 7 & 11 at 8pm, and July 8 at 3pm. The Fringe Festival Opening is Thursday July 12 at 8pm. And the official Press Night / Opening Night is Saturday, July 14 at 8pm (members of the press should RSVP to ScenaMedia@gmail.com to attend or to schedule a preferred alternate performance).
Mein Kampf is rarely produced in the United States with only a handful of productions since its premiere in 1987, most notably a performance in Los Angeles at The Actor's Gang with Tim Robbins in 1991. The setting is winter in a doss-house in Blutgasse, Vienna. Among the shelter’s inhabitants is Schlomo Herzl, an unsuccessful bookseller who deals mainly in Bibles and the Kama Sutra. Events take a dramatic twist with the arrival of a newcomer, one Adolf Hitler, who has come to Vienna from the sticks to secure a place at the Academy of Arts. With such a volatile and taboo subject, Tabori writes with a savage humor and a deep compassionate understanding of the evil that is to come.
George Tabori, born in Budapest of Jewish parents, was a leading writer and director acclaimed throughout Europe for his productions of both the classics and contemporary playwrights. Well-known for translations of Bertolt Brecht and Max Frisch, he also worked in Hollywood writing extensively for Alfred Hitchcock. In 2001, Tabori was awarded the Kassel Literary Prize for Grotesque Humor, a yearly recognition of grotesque and comic work at the highest artistic level. Mein Kampf is one of the final plays from George Tabori, who has been hailed variously as "the ageless enfant terrible" and the "master of experimental theatre". He died July 23, 2007 and is buried in Berlin.
Cast: Mein Kampf features accomplished Washington area actors such as Cameron McNary (Hitler), Stas Wronka (Herzl), Stephen Lorne Williams (Lobkowitz), Hannah Burkhauser (Gretchen), along with Gary Baker, Tom Byrne, Brandon Mitchell, Sissel Bakken, Ellie Nicoll and Joseph Carlson. Designers: Michael C. Stepowany (Set), Alisa Mandel (Costumes), Andrew Griffin (Lights), and James Garver (Sound).
Buttons: To attend Mein Kampf during the Fringe Festival running July 12 - 29, 2012, you are required to have a Fringe Button in addition to your ticket. Buttons may be purchased online through Fringe or SCENA, or at the H St. Playhouse box office.
Previews: July 7 & 11 at 8pm; July 8 at 3pm
Openings: Fringe Festival Opening Night: Thursday July 12 at 8pm
Press Night / Official Opening: Saturday July 14 at 8pm
Full Run: July 14 – August 19: Thurs – Sat at 8 pm & Sun at 3 pm
Price: Pay what you can at Fringe Previews: July 7, 8 & 11;
$17 during Fringe Festival: July 12 - 29;
$25 - $35 for remainder of run: August 2 - 19
Venue: H STREET PLAYHOUSE
1365 H Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
Event: Saturday August 4: "Farce-tival!"
An international afterparty with German beer and Jewish treats
Press: Email: ScenaMedia@gmail.com
Phone: 202.496.4972 OR
Click: on Press link (at left) for Photos
Tickets: Click on Tickets link at left or
Reserve by Phone 703-683-2824.
Parking: Valet Parking is available at the Rock n Roll Hotel (1353 H St., a few doors from the Playhouse). If driving, side-street parking is suggested (Maryland Ave, 10th–12th Streets, etc.). Also, the X2 Metrobus runs down H Street. Visit www.wmata.com for schedules.
Deals: “Student Specials” – $15 tickets for all Students on Thursdays & Sundays from August 2 - 19 (post-Fringe) . Please show student IDs for discount.
This production is presented as a part of the 7th Annual 2012 Capital Fringe Festival - July 12 to 29, 2012 - a program of the Washington, DC non-profit Capital Fringe. Tickets during these dates can also be purchased through CapitalFringe.org or by calling 866-811-4111.
SCENA Theatre brings the best international theatre to Washington, DC and to stimulates cultural exchange between theatre artists, locally and worldwide. Founded in 1987 under the leadership of Artistic Director Robert McNamara and Managing Director Amy Schmidt, SCENA produces an annual season of plays, seasonally staged readings, as well as a Workshop Series aimed at developing new works from around the globe. To learn more about our mission or past stage productions, please call 703-684-7990.