Hotel Modern & Arthur Sauer: The Great War

Dutch theater ensemble Hotel Modern & Arthur Sauer probe timeless themes of the ravages of war and the harsh realities that engulf soldiers in The Great War. The company’s startlingly novel dramatic concept uses the brutal trench warfare of World War I as a lens to examine the ceaseless, universal toll of combat. An idyllic cultivated landscape transforms into a battle-scarred vista of destruction before your eyes, as the entire stage floor becomes a film set for a scaled-down version of the Western Front’s war zone. Company members roam this ruined terrain armed with tiny video cameras, creating an animated film that is projected above scenes that detail—with miniature tanks and toy soldiers—the tragic human enterprise too often glorified by nations’ patriotic zeal.