Die Befristeten

Fear of death? It’s something people no longer experience. In the future of Elias Canetti’s play The Numbered, every human being has a predetermined date of death known from the moment they are born. They carry their life expectancy with them in their names, being called 88 or 46 or even just ten. The inhabitants of this society appear carefree: because they can no longer be surprised by death, instead they know how much time – what period – they have left to live and are able to use it effectively.  There are no longer any fatal accidents, no murders in the traditional sense, the oldest people are generally regarded as the most valuable and death has the romantic name “moment”.

However, one man called Fifty questions this state of supposedly civilised paradise. He distrusts the flawlessness of the system and in particular the unchallenged authority of the guard, the so-called capselan. As a certificate of their approved death, every person carries with them a sealed capsule in which their date of birth and year of death are supposed to be documented. The capselan is the only one allowed to check these details after they have died. Fifty recognises that there is a loophole in the system and incites a revolt. But will people really be any happier if they are released from pre-destination?

The Numbered by the multi-lingual author and Nobel Prize-winner Elias Canetti (1905 – 1994) is an astonishing intellectual game. Schauspielhaus Bochum will re-open its doors after 13 weeks of Covid shutdown with this rediscovered play. Artistic Director Johan Simons will direct in a reconfigured Schauspielhaus in “contactless“ times, examining along with Canetti the value of age, intimacy and isolation, trust and distrust. A human kaleidoscope unfolds in a series of highlight-like scenes that moves us to reflect on the way we deal with death. What would our lives look like with a more clearly defined boundary? What happens, though, if we become aware that we might die at any time: are we prepared to accept restrictions on our freedom out of fear of death? How much do we long to be immortal – and how can we come closest to achieving it?