 Otto Neumaier, who plays the older musician, teaches philosophy at  the University of Salzburg. He played the silent part of the lost  professor in Genzels earlier short, Mystery Project (2005) (qv).  At that films premiere, Genzel promised Neumaier that hed give him  another part in his next movie, and joked that hed have one line:  "Good evening, where is the instrument?" A few months later, Genzel  began to write the "Schlaflos" screenplay and managed to incorporate  the line.