Helgard Haug Photo Hanna Lippmann

Christof Seeger-Zurmühlen: Tourette’s syndrome and theater—not exactly an obvious combination. How did this play come about? Was the topic of Tourette’s syndrome there from the start, or was there an encounter that inspired you?

Helgard Haug: In this case, it was an encounter. I met Christian Hempel while researching for another play, “brain projects,” in which we explored the brain. From our very first encounter, I was impressed by his incredibly thoughtful way of talking about Tourette’s. And by the self-confidence that shines through. For a long time, he used the phrase “I tick, therefore I am.” He has strong vocal tics. Superficially, you could say that these are the people who shout obscenities or swear in some way. That’s also the case with him, although he is incredibly creative in that regard. But he also has strong motor tics. As a result, he is always exposed and has to constantly explain himself. And that has led him to become very withdrawn in recent years. And I found that exciting in connection with theater and the question of presence, how we tolerate each other and how predictable we are.

When I asked him if he could imagine participating in the play, Christian gave a categorical answer: “No, no way!” But then he came to Hamburg for a rehearsal. That was incredibly exciting. We had to avoid him walking the distance between the parking garage and the theater, which is located directly at the main train station: a street with drug dealers and homeless people… His Tourette’s reflects what it sees, absorbs it, thematizes it, twists it, comments on it loudly. It should not be understood as a judgmental comment, but it very quickly finds out what is not acceptable, what should not be said – the taboos. And then it shouts them out loud. And in some situations, there is no time for explanations – which is why every encounter carries the risk of misunderstanding.

I then asked him if we could take a trip through Germany. So what does Tourette’s do when you’re at a church, at a highway rest stop, at a campaign event, at the seaside? What happens there? This idea was given the working title “Germany Trip.” I thought: Let Tourette’s comment on Germany. And that’s what we did. We traveled to Berlin and met the politician Bijan Kaffenberger, who also plays a role in the play and who has moved in the opposite direction. He puts himself at the center and says very strongly: I am in the public eye and Tourette’s also distinguishes me, makes me unique, so he turns the tables. This trip and the encounters and experiences it involved became a radio play. I was fascinated by how creative Tourette’s can be, how witty and humorous.

And after the very positive experiences of working on the radio play – during which we also explored how Christian is portrayed – he agreed to try out performing on stage. “Maybe it’ll only be five minutes,” we kept saying to reassure him. And so we ventured forward together, step by step.

Then I invited Bijan to join us – who at first wasn’t sure if he could really take the time he needed. And in Frankfurt, we met Benjamin Jürgens. He leads a self-help group, has a completely different form of Tourette’s and deals with it in a different way. This gave rise to the idea of working with these three men on three modules and keeping everything as open as possible so that we could still perform the play even if one of them didn’t want to or couldn’t or if the tics were simply too strong.

It was clear that Barbara Morgenstern would do the music. And then it became increasingly clear that she would also perform, that she could be the one to react on stage if something happened. And that we would invent rules that would allow us to maintain this openness.

We also talk about the offer to Christian, the initial rejection, and the decision to perform after all in the play. Because it’s so important to ask: What does it actually take to get to the point where Christian drives his bus onto the stage, or rides a bike, or whatever the circumstances may be? How long is the journey to get there? And how naturally do we open the door and stand on a stage? And what actually needs to be considered so that Christian can do that at all? Without him hurting himself or others, or breaking anything, or causing irritation or mental injury, so to speak?

Christof Seeger-Zurmühlen: Is it a different evening every time?

Helgard Haug: Yes, but less radically than I initially thought. There were so many considerations and preparations involved in how to deal with it. And ultimately, it became clear during rehearsals that specifications are important: the more fixed and clear the structure, the better the protagonists were able to deal with it during rehearsals. And at a certain point, this became a very strong requirement. Repeatability was then easier than openness, so to speak. Improvising or trying something out is fraught with anxiety. And yet – in between, of course, there is this Tourette’s syndrome that does what it wants. So yes: every evening is different. It’s a play in which every evening really has its own character.

Christof Seeger-Zurmühlen: How long did the process take until a play actually emerged?

Helgard Haug: From the first meeting to the premiere: two years. But the rehearsals were quite short, lasting only three weeks.

Christof Seeger-Zurmühlen: And do the actors still ask themselves the question: “I don’t know yet if I’ll do it today?”

Helgard Haug: No, now of course everyone wants to be on stage! That’s the exhilarating thing about theater, that it makes everything possible. The big realization is: It works! I think they really enjoy performing it, and it’s fun. The work was also extremely cheerful. There were so many funny moments and a great lightness in developing the play. We all took a lot from that.

Christof Seeger-Zurmühlen: Humor is the great quality of the production. It’s beautiful. I have the impression that a certain relief also arises in the storytelling. What experiences have you had with the audience?

Helgard Haug: Well, the premise of the play is communicated in advance, but nevertheless, you can feel the tension and uncertainty of the audience at the beginning: What is our relationship here? Am I allowed to laugh? And then, at some point, a pact is made, and from then on, it really takes off, because the rules of the game have been clarified. And then, of course, you can play all the chords.

Christof Seeger-Zurmühlen: Has there also been a shift in the composition of the audience? Does the play empower other people who have Tourette’s?

Helgard Haug: It’s an open invitation. We always try to make contact with local groups beforehand. It’s also the case that the question of how to enable someone with Tourette’s to come on stage leads on to the question of how to enable someone with Tourette’s or other compulsive disorders to be in the audience. Perhaps we need to rethink this standardized seating arrangement and offer other seating options? We took our cue from relaxed performance rules and offered that as well. In Frankfurt, there were performances where there were definitely six or seven people with Tourette’s. Benjamin makes a lot of animal noises, like whistling and meowing, for example. And somehow I had the feeling that the theater had turned into a forest because the Tourette’s visitors were responding to the tics. A really beautiful concert! You’re used to something different, and I think this total focus and concentrated concentration in the theater is really great. But in this play, it’s different. It starts to proliferate and doesn’t stop at the auditorium.

Christof Seeger-Zurmühlen: The question is, of course, how inclusive is our society?

Helgard Haug: The more you know, the more experience you gain with people who break the norm, the better. When we are outside the safe spaces, Christian usually says, “No offense, it’s Tourette’s!” That’s great. Christian makes this effort, but it really is an effort for him. It’s annoying to have to explain yourself all the time, of course, but I think it’s worth it. That way, both sides can reach out to each other. I think it’s good not to just expect normal people to understand everything on their own. And then somehow it works and the situation turns into something loving and humorous.