WRITE. NO, DON’T WRITE. MARLENE DIETRICH & FRIEDRICH TORBERG

She was born in Berlin in 1901. She attended the Deutsches Theater Drama School, was taken on by Max Reinhardt, and left Germany for Hollywood.
Her name was Marlene Dietrich.

He was born in Vienna in 1908. He and his family moved to Prague, where he published his first poems at the age of 15. His debut novel “Der Schüler Gerber hat absolviert” (The Pupil Gerber has Graduated) was a great success.
His name was Friedrich Torberg.

Marlene Dietrich first met Friedrich Torberg in 1946 in New York, where he had been living in exile since 1940. And so began a letter-writing friendship that lasted over 30 years. The title of this evening’s performance, “Schreib. Nein, schreib nicht” (Write. No, don’t write.) – a quotation from Torberg, who was himself a passionate letter-writer – gives some insight into the ambivalence of this magical and enduring relationship. Chris Lohner and Erwin Steinhauer try to track down the secret at the core of their letter-writing friendship and deep affinity.
“… for I have only ever loved, and was never in love with you …”