About the work
Kurzschluss is a comedy by Israeli playwright Noa Lazar-Keinan that premiered in 2022 under its Hebrew title קצר at Beer Sheva Theatre. Matthias Naumann translated the play into German; its German-language stage premiere followed in 2024 at the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater Görlitz-Zittau, directed by Friederike Drews.
Plot
The story follows a working couple with two children: David, a children's book author, has invented a superhero character that inspires his son Itamar to fashion his own homemade costume, while his wife Neta works as a nutrition consultant. When Itamar is diagnosed with autism, the family's everyday routine is thrown off balance, and flashbacks trace how the parents come to terms with the new situation. At certain points, the audience itself becomes part of the action.
Cultural significance
The play became a public success in Israel; its 2024 German-language premiere established it as an example of Lazar-Keinan's personally inflected, humorous theatre about families in extraordinary situations, leading to further productions at theatres across German-speaking countries and in Austria.