Die American Drama Group bürgt für Qualität – und so war es nicht verwunderlich, dass sich das AVG auch in diesem Jahr mit den 10. und 11. Klassen die Aufführung „A Pale-Gold Raven“ der American Drama Group in Burghauser Stadtsaal nicht entgehen ließ.
Edgar Allan Poe ist bekannt als Meister des Makabren und als einer der Begründer der Detektivgeschichten, von denen später auch Meister dieses Metiers wie Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) profitierten. Im Stück „A Pale-Gold Raven“ werden auf faszinierende, manchmal auch auf bewusst verwirrende Weise „Horror, Intrigen und psychologische Spannung zu einem Fall [verwoben], der tief in Poesie von unheimlichen Motiven verwurzelt ist. Während sich die Handlung entfaltet, lassen rätselhafte Hinweise und schattenhafte Gestalten aus seinen ikonischen Erzählungen die Grenzen zwischen Realität und Übernatürlichem verschwimmen“, wie die American Drama Group sehr richtig schreibt.
Allein schon das Live-Erlebnis und die großartigen schauspielerischen wie gesanglichen Leistungen der Darbietenden waren den Besuch absolut wert. Neben dem kulturellen Ereignis half es natürlich auch ganz nebenbei, die Kenntnisse in der englischen Sprache zu schulen, wenn man die wunderbaren Stimmen der Native Speaker hörte.
A. Galneder
Und so sahen es die Schülerinnen und Schüler selbst:
AVG goes mystery – A Pale-Gold Raven
On December 9th, the entire years 10 and 11 of AVG went to see the English-language theatre play A Pale-Gold Raven performed by the American Drama Group Europe at Burghausen town hall. The production was inspired by short stories written by Edgar Allan Poe, a 19th century author known for his dark and psychological literature. In the given stage performance several of Poe’s works were combined into one theatrical experience with the aim of presenting classic literature in a dramatic and accessible way. The play focused on themes such as madness, guilt, fear, and death. Overall, the atmosphere of the performance was intense and mysterious.
Well-known stories such as The Black Cat, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Raven, Ligeia, and The Cask of Amontillado were integrated into the play. Instead of retelling each story in detail, the production concentrated on the emotional states of the characters. Poe’s stories often deal with the human mind and its darker sides, which was clearly reflected in the performance. The scenes were short and fast-paced, allowing many stories to be shown within a limited amount of time.
Acting played a major role in creating tension. The actors used strong facial expressions and exaggerated movements to represent fear, paranoia and inner conflict. Lighting and sound effects supported the dark mood, especially during scenes from The Tell-Tale Heart and The Pit and the Pendulum. Sudden changes in light and disturbing sounds helped to build suspense and keep the audience’s attention. However, some transitions between the stories were difficult to follow, as the scenes changed quickly without much (or no) explanation.
In our opinion A Pale-Gold Raven was an engaging and creative performance – at one point one of the actors could be seen impersonating US President Donald Trump – actually it didn’t much flatter the president … Seeing Edgar Allan Poe’s stories on stage made them easier to understand compared to reading them on one’s own. We found the atmosphere particularly effective, even though some scenes were a tiny bit confusing. We felt that the acting was impressive, especially for a youth theatre production, and we particularly enjoyed The Raven, as the intense emotions were clearly conveyed. However, we believe that the play could have benefited from smoother transitions between the stories.
In conclusion, A Pale-Gold Raven quite definitely was a suitable performance for students and for anyone interested in classic literature with a dark and psychological tone. The play offered a modern approach to Edgar Allan Poe’s works and has very likely left a lasting impression on the audience.
Noor Snsel, Bence Papp (both 10d)