Winter 2025-26: Nick Payne, Constellations
Backstage
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Nick Payne,?Constellations
Constellations tells the love story of Marianne, a quantum physicist, and Roland, a beekeeper. What initially appears to be a conventional relationship drama unfolds under the influence of Marianne’s field of research into an experience that is as original as it is moving. Drawing on the theory of a multiverse in which every decision generates new parallel worlds, Nick Payne develops an extraordinary dramaturgical structure: scenes repeat, jump back, and vary, revealing alternative possibilities of the same moment.
Marianne and Roland thus encounter each other again and again. In one version, sparks fly instantly; in another, they can barely stand each other. Only after numerous wrong turns, missed opportunities, and failed beginnings does that one constellation seem to emerge which sustains their shared story. It is precisely this multitude of possible lives that gives their relationship its originality and, paradoxically, makes it appear all the more unique.
Against the backdrop of this structure, at once playful and precise, Constellations raises profound philosophical questions: Is there free will if everything could always unfold differently? What value do our decisions hold in an infinite multiverse? And where does human dignity reside when our actions are simultaneously meaningful and seemingly insignificant? In the existential choice that Marianne and Roland ultimately face, these questions crystallize into a deeply human moment of responsibility, love, and courage.
Born in 1984, Nick Payne is one of the most important contemporary British playwrights. Constellations premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2012 and was later staged in both the West End and on Broadway. The play received numerous awards and nominations, including the Laurence Olivier Award and the Tony Award. Payne’s work is known for its formal innovation, emotional clarity, and its fusion of scientific concepts with deeply personal stories.
With Constellations, the AnglistenTheater continues its tradition of presenting contemporary, challenging theatre that engages audiences emotionally and intellectually alike: an evening about love and chance, decisions and possibilities.
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Nick Payne
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