About the work
This evening opens Roland Schimmelpfennig's cycle "Fremde Sonne. Die Argonauten. Iason. Medea." (Foreign Sun), which the Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg presents as a series of six episodes spread over four evenings. It comprises the first three episodes: the prologue "Der goldene Widder" (The Golden Ram), the interlude "Zentaur, Höhle, Baum und Balken" (Centaur, Cave, Tree and Beam) and "Die Argonauten: Auftrag, Aufbruch und Irrfahrt" (The Argonauts: Mission, Departure and Odyssey). Karin Beier directs the world premiere on 26 September 2026; the plays of the cycle were published together by S. Fischer in September 2026.
Plot
The prologue tells the prehistory of the Golden Fleece as a chain of transformations and betrayal within one family. The interlude turns to Jason's youth with the centaur Chiron, which leaves deep marks on him. In "Die Argonauten" Jason sets out for Colchis with his crew to seize the fleece – an errant voyage that Schimmelpfennig tells as a plundering raid in which those involved grow brutal under extreme conditions.
Cultural significance
Schimmelpfennig developed the texts of the cycle from the epic Argonaut material and tells it as an anti-heroic grotesque with black humour. Karin Beier reads the Argonaut legend as a founding narrative of European conquest and plunder; according to her, the project was prepared over more than two years.