Set Designer

“The storytellers go on, the auto industry goes on, the workers go on, the governments go on, the rock 'n' roll singers go on, the prices go on, the paper goes on, the animals and trees go on, day and night go on, the moon rises, the sun rises, eyes open, doors open, mouths open, people speak.” And speaking it is: Rolf Dieter Brinkmann! Enfant terrible of the West German literary scene, run over from the right when he looked to the left. What begins as reflection on his own life soon becomes the furious stroll of a young man through the streets of Cologne: West German post-war stifling atmosphere in his sights, armed with a tape recorder. His constant companion is his idiosyncratic poetic mind. In sprawling cascades of hatred, Brinkmann captures the horror of the world, the city, the street with a devilish laugh – in angular beauty. "The Words Are Evil" is the title of a 1974 WDR radio play, written, narrated, and edited by Brinkmann himself. Director and set designer Wolfgang Menardi brings this breathless march through 1970s Cologne to the stage, enriched by poems from Brinkmann's work. A merciless look at the city of Cologne, full of humor and well-hidden beauty between concrete buildings and tiled floors.

The words are evil

Schauspiel Köln

Acclaimed actress Myrtle Gordon is going through a period of upheaval in her life. Suddenly, she's cast in roles played by visibly aging women, and she struggles with the situation. Rehearsals for a new play become a real test for her. If she commits to this role, will the narratives she's allowed to tell be set in stone?

EPSG:4326

Opening Night

Staatstheater Mainz

How terrible must life be if you can’t laugh? Sergei Prokofiev’s opera The Love for Three Oranges is about a king who wishes to help his sick son. But only one thing can cure the malady of the heir to the throne: laughter. While the doctors are trying their luck, Truffaldino and Fata Morgana get into a fight, during which the latter is knocked over.

The Love for Three Oranges

Semperoper Dresden

How terrible must life be if you can’t laugh? Sergei Prokofiev’s opera The Love for Three Oranges is about a king who wishes to help his sick son. But only one thing can cure the malady of the heir to the throne: laughter. While the doctors are trying their luck, Truffaldino and Fata Morgana get into a fight, during which the latter is knocked over. When her mishap causes the Prince to laugh, she quickly places a curse on him: he is destined to fall in love with three oranges. The Prince and Truffaldino immediately set off on a hair-raising journey that finally takes them to a desert – a trip that can be seen as a balancing act between fantasy and reality. Here parody is tinged with tragedy and a touch of the grotesque.

Only a single hit separates Max from his happiness. If he succeeds in making a successful test shot in front of the prince, forester Kuno grants him the hand of his daughter Agathe and the forest. But the fear of failure paralyzes Max and makes him resort to forbidden means. In the dark Wolves Gorge, Kaspar seduces him into casting free bullets. Six of these magic bullets hits every imaginable target unfailingly. With the seventh bullet, however, the devil takes a human victim. The next day, when the seventh bullet is in Max's rifle during the all-important test shot, all the bleak omens seems to come true.

Der Freischütz

In Mao’s China, French diplomat René Gallimard is enchanted by the captivating opera singer Song Liling. The two begin a passionate affair that lasts twenty years, until they are arrested. In court, it is revealed that all this time, unbeknown to Gallimard, Song was not only a man in drag, but also a Chinese spy who passed on information about the war in Vietnam.

Set Designer

Wolfgang Menardi

Events

Upcoming events

Apr 20 - May 4, 2027

M. Butterfly · La Monnaie / De Munt

Past events

May 16, 2026

The words are evil · Bühnen Köln

Oct 21 - Nov 9, 2025

Opening Night · Staatstheater Mainz

About

Wolfgang Menardi hasn't added a bio