Supping with the Devil

A psychological study of a superb artist who becomes corrupted in her quest for power and fame. This is a story of a woman who was blinded by the charisma of a fascist leader, something we are all too familiar with in the present world.

Leni Riefenstahl was called ‘Hitler’s Pin-Up Girl’. A dancer, an actor and one of the most brilliant and innovative film makers of the twentieth century, she sold her soul to Hitler’s Third Reich which destroyed her career. This solo theatre performance by Jan Bolwell tells Riefenstahl’s story through text, music, dance and videography.

As a young and talented artist Riefenstahl was given the opportunity and the resources by Hitler to make films like Triumph of the Will on the 1933 Nuremberg Rally, regarded as one of the greatest propaganda films of all time, and Olympia, on the 1936 Berlin Olympics which revolutionised the way athletic movement is filmed. After the Second World War Riefenstahl was ostracised in Germany and never made another film until she was in her nineties.

She reinvented herself as a skilled photographer & had major success in this medium with two best-selling books on the Nuba tribes in Sudan.

Supping with the Devil delves below the surface into Riefenstahl’s state of mind, the myth making, the defensiveness, the blindness - often through the use of sound. 50 court cases were taken against Riefenstahl throughout her life, and she won all of them. She was very skilled at telling her story the way she wanted it to be heard and understood. What many people cannot for-give about Riefenstahl is that she never admitted her complicity with Hitler’s Third Reich.

Although this theatre work is set in the historical past, it has contemporary relevance, as the world witnesses the rise of autocracies and populist leaders, and the serious challenges to democracy in the 21st century.

Supping with the Devil is a brand-new play, this development season is to test the material and to get some feedback. We invite audiences to remain after the performance for a Q & A session to help further craft the piece.

Content warning: Viewers may find some of the content in this play disturbing. R13.

The Creative Team:
Well known playwright and performer Jan Bolwell has drawn an exciting team around her for this new project. Annie Ruth, actor and ex-leader of Toi Whakaari, directs the play. She was last seen on stage in Wellington this year in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and in Crows Feet Dance Collective’s Woman, Life, Freedom. Helen Todd is a renowned designer and lighting director who has worked with major dance and theatre companies in New Zealand and who produces innovative design ideas for Supping with the Devil. Jan Bolton is a Waikanae composer who has collabo-rated closely with Bolwell on the play and has created an exciting and dynamic sound score.