I would like to do things that rise above everything. Lower than that, I don’t want to go. Address the big issues that are everywhere in the universe all the time and in every dimension. If I don’t manage it, that’s alright too, in any case once or twice.
Born in Berlin in 1987 and raised in Berlin, Korea and Paris, Bonn Park studied Slavic languages and literature at Humboldt University Berlin from 2008 on.
His first works as a director and author were for the Berlin Volksbühne. He has been guest director at the Zurich Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK) and guest student of Werner Schroeter, Heiko Kalmbach and Frank Castorf. In 2011 he took up a course in dramatic writing at the Universität der Künste Berlin.
He received the Heidelberg Stückemarkt’s 2011 Innovation Prize for “Die Leiden des Jungen Super Mario in 2D”. His play “Traurigkeit & Melancholie oder der aller aller einsamste George aller aller Zeiten” was awarded the Else Lasker-Schüler Playwright Prize 2014 and nominated for the German Youth Theatre Prize 2016. The premiere took place in 2015 in Bonn, directed by Mina Salehpour. The audio play of the same name was produced in 2015 by Deutschlandradio Kultur. Subsequently, he received commissions from the Berlin Parkaue theatre/Theater Chemnitz and the Frankfurt Regiestudio. In 2016 he won the Essen Autorentage youth jury prize for “Wir trauern um Bonn Park”. “Das Knurren der Milchstraße” was awarded 1st prize at the Berlin Theatertreffen Stückemarkt in 2017, including a commission from the Badische Staatstheater Karlsruhe. “Das Knurren der Milchstraße” was premiered at Theater Bielefeld in September 2017, directed by Bonn Park himself.
Traurigkeit & Melancholie (Sadness & Melancholy)
Cast: 1M, ad libitum
George is a brooding, obstinate, ancient, playful and probably immortal male turtle. He yearns for the warm sandpit of his childhood, where he crawled out of his egg what feels like thousands of years ago. That’s where he wants to die at last. With a sea view. And the vague hope that in all the centuries he has chalked up, it was not all humbug and claptrap. In his memories, he no longer differentiates much between the wars he experienced in Troy and Persia and the uproar that came after. His lovers seemed to blend into one, after one romantic trajectory much like the next. He lost touch with his offspring. To escape his all-encompassing solitude, George invents recipes enriched with himself. He becomes the hero of his nightmares and the impetus for his visits to the doctor. George is there when Rapunzel climbs out of the hairy fairytale tower and into the desert. He smiles with his turtle mouth and carries a cosmically accrued sack full of merry depressions, on and on.
A big, wise, hilariously funny fragment by Bonn Park.
DAS KNURREN DER MILCHSTRASSE (The Rumbling of the Milky Way)
Cast: 1F, 2M, variabel
The universe rumbles, the earth vibrates, and nobody takes off. The post-migrant dramatist Bonn Park has changed his line of work and is now a post-migrant speech-writer. He dictates words into the mouths of people from a near and improbable future. That’s why this text undoubtedly belongs to the genre of science fiction! The people here are hopeless, sometimes even mean and nasty, but they try to do things, great things, out of sheer naiveté, pleasantly stupidly, to usher in a time when nobody does things anymore, especially not the talented and privileged, who at some point are eaten up by foam and the internet. A subversively epochal and perversely dumb text without age restrictions but only for people who are prepared to confront the world’s overload and who can stop selling their grandmothers.
Die Leiden Des Jungen SuperMario in2D (Sorrows of young SuperMario in2D)
A famous video game hero tortured by Franchise and Merchandise of kart games has to repeat again and again the same old story. He has to free the princess with a very little reward and going on in an experience without sense. Therefore he has to bump his head against stones again and again for a coin here and there for which are so worthless he can’t buy himself a drink, a house or some fun. He has to jump on turtles and squeeze them out of their shells brutally and no one asks him why he hates turtles so much (probably he doesn’t at all). In the end, he will find no answer and yet he might be a little more satisfied. “Die Leiden Des Jungen SuperMario in2D” is Bonn Park’s first play and he does all the sins and errors you do when you write for the first time. It is for sure far away from being the best play in the world but it is very close to being a very typical first one.
Traurigkeit&Melancholie oder der aller aller einsamste George aller aller Zeiten
(Sadness&Melancholy or the most lonesome George of very all times)
There was this Galapagos turtle called lonesome George. He was the last of his kind. He has nothing more to do. Not biologically because there is no one to reproduce nor politically or whatever. This play is about time, world, hot topics, love, hate, tears, everything. Only 2 weeks after starting writing this play, in real life lonesome George died.
Wir trauern um Bonn Park (Grieve about Bonn Park)
An author died. Some people are sad. This play is about the almighty force: Dying! And it’s very short.
Edition 2017-2020
Press review: Bonn Park’s days in Barcelona on December
On December, German playwright Bonn Park led a workshop (on 10-13) in Barcelona and attended the stage presentation
gallery: Sadness and Melancholy by Bonn Park at Teatrul Odeon
On January 30, Teatrul Odeon presented Sadness and Melancholy or the most most lonely George of all all time
gallery: “Traurigkeit & Melancholie” by Bonn Park at Teatr Dramatyczny
On 14 December there has been the opening of Traurigkeit & Melancholie by German playwright Bonn Park at Teatr Dramatyczny directed by Piotr
Press review: Interview with Bonn Park on his “Das Knurren der Milchstrasse” on stage at Sala Beckett
Click here to watch the interview with German author Bonn Park on his text Das Knurren der Milchstrasse (The Rumbling of the
gallery: Rehearsals of “El rugit de la Via Làctia” by Bonn Park at Sala Beckett
From 14th to 15th December El rugit de la Via Làctia (Das Knurren der Milchstrasse) by German playwright Bonn Park was
gallery: Workshop led by Bonn Park at Sala Beckett
From 10th to 13th December Sala Beckett hosted German playwright Bonn Park to lead a workshop before the stage presentation
gallery: Stage presentation of Bonn Park’s text in Warsaw
On June 4 there was a reading of the German author Bonn Park's text The Rumbling of the
gallery: Bonn Park’s texts on stage at Teatro i (Milan)
Here we publish some pictures of Sadness & Melancholy and The Rumbling of the Milky Way by the German author Bonn
Press review: Two stage presentations of two texts by the German author Bonn Park at Teatro i (Milan)
From the 7th to the 14th March there were two stage presentations of the two texts Sadness &
Edition 2015-2016
Press review: Bonn Park at Teatro i (Milan – Italy)
We publish the press review about Grieve about Bonn Park by Bonn Park. The play was performed at
Gallery: Bonn Park at Teatro i (Milan)
We publish a gallery about Grieve about Bonn Park by Bonn Park. The play was performed at Teatro
Review: Bonn Park at Short Theatre 2015
Here the review of “Traurigkeit&Melancholie oder der aller aller einsamste George aller aller Zeiten (Sadness&Melancholy or the most
Video: Bonn Park at Short Theatre 2015
The German author Bonn Park was invited at Short Theatre Festival 2015 (3-13 September 2015 – Rome, Italy)
Gallery: Bonn Park at Short Theatre 2015
Some photos of "Sadness&Melancholy or the most lonesomest George of very all times" by Bonn Park, guest at
Video: Barletti/Waas at Short Theatre 2015
Werner Waas and Lea Barletti describe their experience at Short Theatre Festival 2015 (3-13 September 2015 – Rome,
