On the twentieth anniversary of the death of Heiner Müller, the artist Jannis Kounellis and the director Theodoros Terzopoulos, both friends and colleagues of the German poet and playwright, come together for a project which pays tribute to the figure and the work of the man defined in the nineties as the "greatest living theatrical writer".
Müller was one of the most important writers in post-war German theatre and always maintained a solid and interactive rapport with the figurative arts (Kounellis, for example, curated the staging of his Mauser in Berlin in 1991).

The project, previewing at the Piccolo Teatro and which will then tour Greece and Germany in 2016, includes an installation and a performance inspired by Die Hamletmaschine, a post-modern drama written in 1977 which "rereads" Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Kounellis has envisioned a Hamlet "with his back turned on the ruins of Europe" for an installation which is both personal and social, denouncing corruption and power.
The installation will provide the surroundings for the performance for which Terzopoulos has chosen a number of excerpts from Die Hamletmaschinewhich take form through the feminine voice of Sofia Hall, the live electronic music of Panagiotis Velianitis, and the elaborated male voice of the director himself.

Janis Kounellis, born in Athens, has lived and worked in Rome since the 1950s. Famous worldwide as an exponent of Arte Povera, he creates striking installations with iron, coal and stone.
Theodoros Terzopoulos is one of the most important figures in Greek and European stage directing. Founder of the Attis Theatre in Athens, he has staged both classical (The Bacchae, Medea) and contemporary works (including the various plays by Heiner Müller).

Kounellis ha pensato ad un Amleto “con la schiena rivolta verso le rovine dell'Europa” per un’installazione allo stesso tempo personale e sociale, contro la corruzione e il potere.
Al suo interno avrà luogo la performance per la quale Terzopoulos ha scelto alcuni brani di Die Hamletmaschine che prendono forma attraverso la voce femminile dell’attrice Sofia Hill, la musica elettronica live di Panagiotis Velianitis e la voce maschile elaborata dal regista.

Jannis Kounellis, nato ad Atene, dagli anni Cinquanta vive e lavora a Roma. Famoso in tutto il mondo come esponente dell’Arte Povera, realizza installazioni di grande impatto con ferro, carbone e pietre.

Theodoros Terzopoulos è tra i maggiori esponenti della regia teatrale greca e europea. Fondatore del Teatro Attis di Atene, ha messo in scena testi classici (Baccanti, Medea) e contemporanei (tra i quali diverse opere di Heiner Müller).