Stallerhof

The second stage of ETHAL in a co-production with the theatrical group ONE/OFF, presents the play "Stallerhof" of the highly-regarded German playwright Franz Xaver Kroetz.

Stallerhof tells the simplest of stories about farmers living well below the poverty level somewhere not too far from Munich. Life in their barely-lit cottage is harsh with basic food and little reason to smile.

The Catholic Staller and his wife have an added burden in their backward daughter Beppi, a curse to both.

Beppi, who is barely a teenager, can hardly read. With her taped-up glasses and sinking socks, she is the kind of ugly duckling who is never likely to be transformed into that graceful and beautiful swan of the fairy tales.

The other occupant of the farm is a lonely labourer, Roger Ringrose's Sepp. He is counting the days until his retirement and a modest dream of buying a cheap flat on the outskirts of Munich. Until then, he works the farm and either makes his own pleasure or enjoys the companionship of his dog, played by the remarkably obedient Monty.

With nobody else for either to turn to, Sepp and Beppi become friends, since he is willing to give her the time that her parents cannot.

However, this comes at a price, because Sepp yearns for a little feminine comfort. After an initial liaison that is close to rape, Beppi falls in something like love, which both pleases and alarms Sepp, especially after she goes to confession.

Directed by Maria Kyriakou

(in Greek)