The Odyssey
Theater Ensemble
The Arsonists Cast:
Mr. Gottlieb Biedermann:
Norbert Weisser
Mrs. Babbete Biedermann:
Beth Hogan
Arsonist Joe Schmitz:
John Achorn
Arsonists Billy Eisenring:
Ron Bottitta
Anna (the Maid):
Diana Cignoni
The Philosophy Professor:
Alan Abelew
The Policeman:
Cary Thompson
Mrs. Knechtling:
Chantal DeGroat
Members of the Chorus:
Chantal DeGroat
Alan Abelew
Cary Thompson
Beth Hogan
Diana Cignoni
Directed by: Ron Sossi and
Barbara Mueller-Wittman
Set Designer: Birgitte Moos
In order to conserve space,
these screencaps are quite
small, however, they are all pop-
up images that will expand when
you click on them.
The arsonists enter the room with Joe saying he can’t get any fire lighters since they have all been confiscated by the cops,
and that anyone caught with them or selling them will be arrested. In the meantime, Biedermann enters the room saying he
has gotten his best wine from the cellar for dinner -- yet can’t believe he’s doing it. He continues on saying he has had his
suspicions right from the start, but asks if you were in his place, what would you do?
Dinner underway, everyone but Mrs. Biedermann jokes about the lack of fire lighters and that instead Joe has loaded kindling
into the attic. She fails to see the humor in the joke. Biedermann even goes on to joke about measuring the fuse wire together.
When she still isn’t amused he tries to reassure her that they just have an offbeat sense of humor and that Billy will probably
end up asking her for a light!
Biedermann offers a toast to their friendship. Anna comes in serving bread, wearing one of Mrs. Biedermann’s dresses. Billy
starts to compliment the dinner, but says what they really need to make it special is a tablecloth -- a linen tablecloth, and linen
napkins, and finger bowls and candlesticks -- everything Biedermann had Anna remove from the table in the first place. Billy
says it really isn’t necessary since they didn’t have tablecloths in prison either.
Biedermann screams at Anna to return the salt grinder. She screams back at him that he slipped it into his pocket. Billy tries to
smooth things over by saying, “It’s the weather, you know -- wind from the East.” Biedermann pours more wine to break the
tension. When Joe realizes he is drinking from the finger bowl, he spits the water back into it. Billy then asks Mr. Biedermann if
he knows what it’s like to be traumatized like he was in prison.
When Mrs. Biedermann asks how he ended up in prison, Mr. Biedermann tells her she shouldn’t ask questions like that. Billy
explains that he was a head waiter at a very nice restaurant. They came to arrest him at home for being an arsonist. He was
so taken aback by it that he went along with it. When he explained to the police that he had to get to work, they said that the
restaurant had burned. At this point, the professor shows up asking to see Mr. Biedermann because he can no longer be
silent about a matter, but he is kept waiting in the hall. Billy also accuses Biedermann of hiding the candlesticks away, so he
asks Anna to bring them over -- but they have no matches to light them. When Billy admonishes Joe about his lack of table
manners, he also mentions that Joe was in the theater briefly -- before it burned down. Joe agrees to do a skit for them,
ending up donning the tablecloth and playing the ghost of Mr. Knechtling, and scaring them all to death -- making the
Biedermann’s more nervous than they already are.
Mrs. Biedermann is severely traumatized as
Joe describes the corpse of Mr. Knechtling.
By this time Mr. Biedermann is quietly sobbing
and shaking, telling them to all just sit down.
Billy scolds a contrite Joe about scaring everyone. In an attempt to revive the party, Biedermann offers them all a cigarette.
Joe is sorry that he frightened everyone so offers to sing them a song. Pretty soon everyone is enjoying a rousing chorus of
“London’s Burning” and Biedermann is going to put out the flame.... Just then sirens are heard off in the distance and Mrs.
Biedermann starts to scream hysterically that it is the arsonists. As the sirens go by, Billy says that’s how they do it. They set
false alarms on the outskirts of town, then the fire fighters find their way blocked when they try to get back into town to the real
fire. Mrs. Biedermann tells them to stop joking -- that there is a limit. They tell her they are not joking -- they are the arsonists.
As they grab the fuses, they tell Biedermann that his home is in a perfect position and that his house will be one of five fires
that night -- all of them situated around a petrol station. Biedermann still doesn’t believe it. When they ask him who he thinks
they are, he says simply, “You are my friends.” Billy then tells him to give them matches as a sign he believes they aren’t
arsonists -- as a sign of trust. Mrs. Biedermann offers coffee, and Mr. Biedermann says to all use first names and to drink a
toast to their friendship, offering them anything they want as nothing is too much trouble for a friend. The arsonists again
demand matches before they go. Just then, Anna can be heard screaming, “Hilfe! Hilfe! Hilfe!” (Help), and runs into the room
in a panic saying the entire sky is aflame. Biedermann says, “At least it’s not our house...”
A dejected and utterly down-trodden Biedermann has handed over his matches to the arsonists who are laughing as they
leave. Mrs. Biedermann comes in screaming at him -- she can’t believe he gave them matches. Still in denial, Biedermann
says, “If they have no matches of their own, they can’t possibly be arsonists.” As they go out to set their fires, the professor
comes in and confesses, saying he can no longer be silent about them.
As explosions rock the city and it starts to burn, the fire fighters come to put out the flames while Mr. Biedermann is cringing at
the explosions and the red light illuminating his home. The chorus of fire fighters proclaim that there are many senseless things,
but nothing more senseless than the story just told.....
....... or failing to change anything...
A soot covered Biedermann cowers in his chair, smokes his cigarette and tries to read his newspaper.
In one way I apologize that this presentation is so long, yet on the other hand, I didn’t want to leave out any
aspect of this important story as it was building along all of the key elements that gave it substance. I felt that
this was a significant work that needed to be represented in its entirety.
Congratulations and thanks again to the entire Odyssey Theater Ensemble for such as outstanding performance.
May an Ovation Award come your way in recognition of this wonderful achievement.
The English translation of this play was done by British author Alistair Beaton.
Official Fansite
© www.norbert-weisser.com, 2010 This is the Official Fansite for Mr. Norbert Weisser Site Design By: JT eDesigns
The arsonists enter the room with Joe saying he can’t get any fire lighters since they have all been confiscated by the cops,
and that anyone caught with them or selling them will be arrested. In the meantime, Biedermann enters the room saying he
has gotten his best wine from the cellar for dinner -- yet can’t believe he’s doing it. He continues on saying he has had his
suspicions right from the start, but asks if you were in his place, what would you do?
Dinner underway, everyone but Mrs. Biedermann jokes about the lack of fire lighters and that instead Joe has loaded kindling
into the attic. She fails to see the humor in the joke. Biedermann even goes on to joke about measuring the fuse wire together.
When she still isn’t amused he tries to reassure her that they just have an offbeat sense of humor and that Billy will probably
end up asking her for a light!
Biedermann offers a toast to their friendship. Anna comes in serving bread, wearing one of Mrs. Biedermann’s dresses. Billy
starts to compliment the dinner, but says what they really need to make it special is a tablecloth -- a linen tablecloth, and linen
napkins, and finger bowls and candlesticks -- everything Biedermann had Anna remove from the table in the first place. Billy
says it really isn’t necessary since they didn’t have tablecloths in prison either.
Biedermann screams at Anna to return the salt grinder. She screams back at him that he slipped it into his pocket. Billy tries to
smooth things over by saying, “It’s the weather, you know -- wind from the East.” Biedermann pours more wine to break the
tension. When Joe realizes he is drinking from the finger bowl, he spits the water back into it. Billy then asks Mr. Biedermann if
he knows what it’s like to be traumatized like he was in prison.
When Mrs. Biedermann asks how he ended up in prison, Mr. Biedermann tells her she shouldn’t ask questions like that. Billy
explains that he was a head waiter at a very nice restaurant. They came to arrest him at home for being an arsonist. He was
so taken aback by it that he went along with it. When he explained to the police that he had to get to work, they said that the
restaurant had burned. At this point, the professor shows up asking to see Mr. Biedermann because he can no longer be
silent about a matter, but he is kept waiting in the hall. Billy also accuses Biedermann of hiding the candlesticks away, so he
asks Anna to bring them over -- but they have no matches to light them. When Billy admonishes Joe about his lack of table
manners, he also mentions that Joe was in the theater briefly -- before it burned down. Joe agrees to do a skit for them,
ending up donning the tablecloth and playing the ghost of Mr. Knechtling, and scaring them all to death -- making the
Biedermann’s more nervous than they already are.
Mrs. Biedermann is severely traumatized as
Joe describes the corpse of Mr. Knechtling.
By this time Mr. Biedermann is quietly sobbing
and shaking, telling them to all just sit down.
Billy scolds a contrite Joe about scaring everyone. In an attempt to revive the party, Biedermann offers them all a cigarette.
Joe is sorry that he frightened everyone so offers to sing them a song. Pretty soon everyone is enjoying a rousing chorus of
“London’s Burning” and Biedermann is going to put out the flame.... Just then sirens are heard off in the distance and Mrs.
Biedermann starts to scream hysterically that it is the arsonists. As the sirens go by, Billy says that’s how they do it. They set
false alarms on the outskirts of town, then the fire fighters find their way blocked when they try to get back into town to the real
fire. Mrs. Biedermann tells them to stop joking -- that there is a limit. They tell her they are not joking -- they are the arsonists.
As they grab the fuses, they tell Biedermann that his home is in a perfect position and that his house will be one of five fires
that night -- all of them situated around a petrol station. Biedermann still doesn’t believe it. When they ask him who he thinks
they are, he says simply, “You are my friends.” Billy then tells him to give them matches as a sign he believes they aren’t
arsonists -- as a sign of trust. Mrs. Biedermann offers coffee, and Mr. Biedermann says to all use first names and to drink a
toast to their friendship, offering them anything they want as nothing is too much trouble for a friend. The arsonists again
demand matches before they go. Just then, Anna can be heard screaming, “Hilfe! Hilfe! Hilfe!” (Help), and runs into the room
in a panic saying the entire sky is aflame. Biedermann says, “At least it’s not our house...”
A dejected and utterly down-trodden Biedermann has handed over his matches to the arsonists who are laughing as they
leave. Mrs. Biedermann comes in screaming at him -- she can’t believe he gave them matches. Still in denial, Biedermann
says, “If they have no matches of their own, they can’t possibly be arsonists.” As they go out to set their fires, the professor
comes in and confesses, saying he can no longer be silent about them.
As explosions rock the city and it starts to burn, the fire fighters come to put out the flames while Mr. Biedermann is cringing at
the explosions and the red light illuminating his home. The chorus of fire fighters proclaim that there are many senseless things,
but nothing more senseless than the story just told.....
....... or failing to change anything...
A soot covered Biedermann cowers in his chair, smokes his cigarette and tries to read his newspaper.
In one way I apologize that this presentation is so long, yet on the other hand, I didn’t want to leave out any
aspect of this important story as it was building along all of the key elements that gave it substance. I felt that
this was a significant work that needed to be represented in its entirety.
Congratulations and thanks again to the entire Odyssey Theater Ensemble for such as outstanding performance.
May an Ovation Award come your way in recognition of this wonderful achievement.
The English translation of this play was done by British author Alistair Beaton.
Official Fansite
© www.norbert-weisser.com, 2010 This is the Official Fansite for Mr. Norbert Weisser Site Design By: JT eDesigns
