Percy Bartelt, opinions editor

The Augsburg Theater department is showcasing the unique, historical play about the German poet “Tian,” also known as Karoline von Günderrode. This production is entirely student-led; it’s directed, written, managed and performed not only by students within the Theater department, but from other majors as well! This just shows Augsburg’s versatility when it comes to the creative minds in this production. 

This play has been described as a “play within another play,” which already intrigued me to see how these students would interpret this on the stage, and they did not disappoint! We follow an unnamed character, the Playwright, talking with Karoline’s dearest friend Bettine von Arnim in order to write a historically accurate play about the 18th century poet. 

As the audience, we see the Playwright interact with her world, talking to Bettine, as well as show us her imagination by showing us Karoline’s world. We see how she lived, who she talked to, major events that happened in her life, the growth of her poetic journey and how the impacts of her work bleed into the “present” — so-to-speak — with the Playwright being absolutely enamored with her work. As well as Bettine reminiscing on her own life with her friend. 

The Playwright feels like such an intrinsic character, acting almost like an omniscient-god and integral narrator for what’s happening in Karoline’s timeline, especially with some of the performance being in German. Not to mention Bettine’s character who meshes between both realities — she interacts with both Karoline’s world, as well as the present with the Playwright!

The Playwright is played by none other than senior Savanna Gorbunow, an incredible actor for many years within the department. As Playwright, Gorbunow shows raw emotion and a glimpse into the mind of a self-aware author and creator. Starring as “Tian” herself is sophomore Sara Connors, who is actually a Music Therapy major, and does an amazing job at portraying such a deep and multi-layered character. This story was also written by senior Johanna Caroline Schön who is also co-director with senior Kayla Marie Mielke.

“Tian” is a play about a play, highlighting the importance of what story is told, who gets to tell the story and what exactly they have to gain from writing it. In the show Bettine, played by first-year Sydney Elliott, herself said it best: “Self-hatred, doubt, and longing. […] All you care about is her darkness, does it fascinate you?” Very well-said, and it makes you question how historical retellings are told, and just why only some aspects of their history is being told. 

All around, this story is one I’m very excited to see come Feb. 13. It feels like you’re watching an interactive history lesson, and with the addition of incredible acting from the cast with genuine emotion in every line to the level of detail put forth by the production teams as well as the guidance from Schön and Mielke, this is a must-see Augsburg production! Please, go show your support for our fellow student creators!