Requiem für einen Lebenden

Time stands still in the death cell. The death cell is a waiting room. Time does not move, it has stopped. Routines structure the undetermined limbo between the sentencing and its enforcement. Composer Felix Leuschner, librettist Reto Finger and director Manuel Schmitt travelled together to Texas for research purposes, to come closer to the life situation of a prisoner sentenced to death. Found guilty of murder, for 13 years now he has been isolated from society, his environment and family, awaiting the state-ordered death.  These impressions produce a piece for two singers and one actor, characterised by personal encounters with those affected and the different real lives of people on both sides of the bars. The staging will pose questions about our understanding of freedom and social co-habitation and provide visual, acoustic and intellectual insights into the emotional journey of the project team.