Coming Soon to a Theater in Your Home
August 9, 2004
The Berlin theater landscape may be chronically under-funded, but that's not why director Tobias Rauch and his troupe of actors called "lunatiks" will be performing "livingROOMS" in a private household.
Instead, they're looking forward to the challenge of putting on Rauch's theater of improvisation in a stranger's home.
But not just any stranger's home: Rauch & Co. have offered their services on eBay Germany, claiming to be the first ever to have auctioned off a play on the Web site. The highest bidder will see his home transformed into a theater for one night, complete with two actors, four technicians and "live-catering" from a pizza delivery service.
Bids started at €1 on Monday, the first day of the seven-day auction for the premier on August 21. By midday, 16 participants were battling it out for the privilege of hosting the play; the highest bid was €30.52 ($37.41).
No matter how small the apartment, anyone may take part in the auction, but the winner must be willing to allow the press to film the performance in his or her digs. Auctions for three further performances are set to take place over the next month.