Gerhard Roth

Gerhard Roth remembers what he knows of “history”. In doing so, though, he ignores every form of history writing that orientates itself exclusively towards the history of power. It is about the outline of an internal history of humanity. The title comes from the aesthetic of the writing process – an auto-reflection on something like the “childhood of humanity”.
The form of the 28 scenes matches the content. They are expressions of humanity’s Babylonian confusion of language and thought in clichés and proverbs, in shots and blows, in madness, lies, and jest, but also in sorrow. Language is a weapon between the sexes, there is scientific language and sophistry, the language of command and power, and the language of hymns.
“Gerhard Roth is not trying to tell a story: the 28 scenes of his play do not reveal any plot; rather, they are linked together by association. They unite in a composition of signs where the meaning is first accessible when one engages with their poetic logic. Indirectly, Roth is of course aiming at history. It appears, often grotesquely distorted, as mischief that captivates people, that gives them a false sense of itself and of life.” (Gerhard Melzer)