FREE THEATRE CHRISTCHURCH
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Leonce and Lena

18-29 October 1983, Free Theatre, The Arts Centre
Production Credits
Leonce and Lena was written in 1836 by Georg Büchner, a German scientist and revolutionary, who died in exile, only 23 years old. Büchner was an admirer of Shakespeare and Leonce and Lena has many references to Hamlet and especially to As You Like It.

The plot is comedy at its lightest. Prince Leonce of the tiny kingdom of PooPoo is supposed to marry Princess Lena of the equally tiny kingdom of PeePee (parodying the small absolute German principalities of the time) and then to take over from his father, King Peter, who wants to retire in order to be able to concentrate on philosophy. Both Leonce and Lena, who have not seen each other, object to the marriage and escape from their respective kingdoms. They meet at a country inn and fall in love with each other. The happy end is automatic.

What is different in this comedy, however, is that its own automation becomes its real theme. The happy end can be seen as a failure to escape from the mechanisms of love and life that imprison us. Comedy, poetry, philosophy, politics and romantic love are radically questioned in a very poetic, philosophical, political and romantic comedy. Shakespeare's notion of human beings as players on a stage is radicalised: we are just puppets who don't know who pulls the strings.

Büchner's play has been seen as an attack on the "idealist" ideology of the ruling classes and as an early forerunner of modern absurd drama. It has been compared to Samuel Beckett's "Endgames" of the Western civilisation.

The set, designed by Tony Geddes, is a mixture of a world machine, ship of fools and puppet theatre within the theatre - as the Free Theatre is within the bigger Arts Centre and the Arts Centre within Christchurch city theatre... and so on.

Note: Due to Court Proceedings the theatre must be cleared by 11pm.
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Despite threats of eviction and legal action over the use of its Arts Centre premises, the Free Theatre will open its next production, "Leonce and Lena," next Tuesday.

Free Theatre Press Release Leonce and Lena
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Reviews

The Free Theatre has to face further court proceedings at the end of this production. But al least they have now proved beyond a doubt that their cause is worth supporting.

​Free Theatre finds maturity
Richard Corballis, NZ Times, November 1984
Described as a comedy, the deliberation and sheer dogged determination to extract every nuance from the script left a heavy residue. 

​'Leonce and Lena'
Gerrit Bahlman, The Press, November 1984
...the governing idea of life as a machine is brilliantly conveyed in Peter Falkenberg's production.

​Too little drama in moral tale
Richard Corballis, The Star, November 1984
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Articles

Free Theatre comedy
The Press

Leonce and Lena
The Star

Free Theatre photo essay
The Press

The Free Theatre
Clipze,
Issue 1 Sept 5-Sept 19
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  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • A brief history...
    • Manifestos and Writings
    • Who We Are
    • The University Connection
    • Shirley Horrocks documentary
    • Training and Devising
    • Home, Space and Design
  • WHATS ON
    • The Passionate Puritan
  • EDUCATION
    • Kids Holiday Programmes
    • Schools Workshops
    • Adult workshops
  • PRODUCTIONS 1979 - present
    • The Cat Eleonore
    • The Deadbeat Opera
    • Babylon Berlin
    • Beggars Banquet
    • Woyzeck
    • The Axe
    • Endgame
    • Digitising Performance
    • Erewhon: Over the Range
    • A Summer Night's Dream
    • How Dare You
    • A Winter's Tale
    • Ars Acustica
    • Alice
    • The Black Rider
    • Frankenstein
    • The Mauricio Kagel Project
    • Footprints/Tapuwae
    • Kafka's Amerika
    • Ubu Nights >
      • Past Ubu Nights >
        • Ma Ubu Night
        • Ubu Through the Looking Glass
        • Ubu in Wonderland Ubu Night
        • Frankenstein Ubu Night
        • Casablanca Ubu Night
        • Faust Ubu Night
        • Not Hamlet Ubu Night
        • Punk Ubu Night
        • The Art of the Deal Ubu Night
        • Crossroads Ubu Night
        • Ubu Shows Us the Way to Brecht's Whiskey Bar
        • The Devil and the Blues Ubu Night
        • Bowie Ubu Night
        • Warhol Ubu Night
        • Berlin Kabarette
        • Beat Ubu Night
        • Twin Peaks Ubu Night
        • David Lynch Ubu Night
        • Kafka Ubu Night
        • Tango Ubu Night
        • Ubu Ubu Night
        • Lovecraft Ubu Night
    • Canterbury Tales
    • The Soldier's Tale
    • Bluebeard's Castle >
      • Bluebeard's Castle credits
    • I Sing the Body Electric
    • Big Heads Protest
    • Hereafter
    • Passion, Pulse and Power
    • The Earthquake in Chile
    • Don Giovanni Invites you to Dinner
    • Doctor Faustus
    • The Marvellous Corricks >
      • Corricks - Credits
    • Distraction Camp
    • Remake
    • Ella and Susn
    • There and Back Again
    • Faust Chroma
    • Enigma Emmy Goering/Nico Sphinx of Ice
    • Change Proposal
    • Faust Feast
    • Diana Down Under
    • Philoctetes >
      • Production Credits - Piloctetes
    • Fantasia
    • Christmas Shopping
    • Grimm's Sleeping Beauty
    • Achternbusch in the Antipodes
    • Caucasian Chalk Circle
    • Samson Airline
    • Antigone
    • Kabarett Kabul
    • Footprints/Tapuwae
    • The Well Intentioned Wife
    • The Last Days of Mankind
    • Bakkhai / Diotek
    • Krapp's Last Tape
    • Murderer Hope of Women / The Philosopher's Stone
    • Comrade Savage
    • Love on a Bicycle
    • Crusoe: A Lapsarian Mass in Twelve Movements
    • Medea
    • Songs to the Judges
    • Resolution Island
    • Oedipus Rex/Oedipus at Colonus
    • The Empire Builders
    • States of Shock
    • Robinson Crusoe or: I That Was Born To Be My Own Destroyer
    • Power
    • MedeaMaterial
    • Salome
    • Electra
    • The Girl Who Sings Waterfalls
    • Hamletmachine
    • Oresteia
    • A Respectable Wedding
    • Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
    • Cloudkiwiland
    • Double Act / Postponeless >
      • double act credits
    • Preversions
    • The Mortal Pleasure of Wander Lust
    • Red Cross & Takeaway
    • Lulu
    • Cowboy Mouth
    • The Meeting >
      • the meeting credits
    • Action / Tongues
    • The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
    • A Letter from L
    • Dinosaurs and All the Rubbish / The Hunting of the Snark
    • Free Theatre Christmas Show
    • The Ride Across Lake Constance
    • Electra
    • In Three Minds
    • The Rapist Over Suzannah
    • 1984: The Future Is Now
    • Make-up Ground down / Texts for Decomposition
    • Leonce and Lena
    • Court Case: Free Theatre vs The Arts Centre
    • The Almost Free Theatre Kabernette
    • The Joffongract
    • King Lear
    • Kabarett
    • King Ubu
    • Black Cat Cabaret
    • The Gas Heart/Ox on the Roof/The Mirror Wardrobe One Fine Evening
    • Jazz Cellar Dada / Heavy Metal Cabaret
    • Round Dance
    • Woyzeck
  • Te Puna Toi
    • Past Te Puna Toi Projects
    • Artists in Residence
  • SUPPORT
  • CONTACT
  • CNZ application