| Lab |
| all tickets 5 Euro |
| The Lab |
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Founded in 2003, The Lab is an ETB program intended to support the work of playwrights of all levels who live in Berlin and who write in English. Beginning playwrights are encouraged through one-on-one contact to overcome early stumbling blocks, like allowing the internal critic to do its work too early in the creative process. New playwrights are encouraged to keep producing material which can later be edited into more-finished products. Playwrights who have already developed solid work-habits and are able to produce without outside support are given one-on-one feedback on their work. We look at their themes, characters, structure, and ultimately consider the whether their plays contain any impediments to being produced, like unreasonable sets, casts that are too large, etc. When playwrights reach the most advanced level, their work is presented as a staged reading before an audience, which is subsequently invited to give feedback in a supportive, encouraging and respectful environment. Our primary aim is to help local artists create quality work for the stage despite being outside a native English-speaking country. There is no deadline for Lab submissions. When an artist begins working with us, we may have a slot available in the near future to present their work, or we may need to work on a script for several months before it is ready for audience comments. Some writers come to us with work nearly ready for submission to theatre companies while others come to us with only a desire to begin writing for the stage. Anyone with a serious interest is welcome, regardless of existing level, nationality, or native language. The curators for the 2010/11 season are American theatre makers JON EDWARD JORDAN and KATIE GERMAN. If you already have a play you would like to submit, or if you would like more information about how we might be a useful resource to your playwriting, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
NEXT LABs: Sept 12 / 6.30pm: Molly Eyre by Tamsin Walker with Nicole Ratjen (Molly), Corey Shank (Ranga), Lisa Meilen (Uta) and Amy Nye (Celesta) Molly Eyre’s marriage and career as a playwright are both on the rocks, and the only way she can see to save the former is by saving the latter. In order to do that, she needs a good idea. Inspiration arrives when she’s thrown together with three mothers to oversee the remodelling of a disused room at their children’s nursery. Assuming the role of social adjudicator, she decides to borrow aspects of the scenario and the women’s personalities for a new comic play. But comedy turns to tragedy as Molly’s involvement with the other women puts her marriage and career in greater jeopardy and she is forced to realize that her life is every bit as flawed as theirs. Molly Eyre borrows the main characters and plot elements from three Molière plays – The Imaginary Invalid, The Hypocrite, The Misanthrope – and weaves them together to show not only how fiction reflects reality, but how reality can be informed by fiction. Tamsin Walker was born and bred in England but has lived in Berlin on and off for the past 15 years. More on than off. She has a background in documentary and journalism and has published short stories in several anthologies. Sept 19 / 6.30pm: The Art of Love by Dr. Kishore Chakraborty with Melissa Holroyd, David Masterson, and Clayton Nemrow Eve and John, recently married, run into trouble when Eve begins modeling for Jack, a painter. Initially, Eve remains married, but continues her love affair with Jack as he and his art provide a new window into her psyche. In time, however, Eve leaves John for Jack. But, Eve's ties to her former husband cannot be broken so easily and he re-enters her life after a chance encounter. Now, Jack and John have exchanged places: Jack is the husband and John, the lover. The play combines commentary about situations and inner states that attempts to dissolve the fourth wall. This commentary and the role of art as a subject provide distance from the emotional content of the play. By making the audience aware of the language play, the play aims to force them to think metaphysically about situations and their resolutions, instead of only responding emotionally.
Nov 21 / 6.30pm: Double Bound by Neil Bristow Natalie has lived all her life at home with her oppressive father Gerd. When Gerd has a breakdown and has to leave his firm, Natalie sees a potential way out – by starting an affair with her father’s successor Georg. What follows is a subtle war of attrition between old and young, the past and the present, with Natalie in the middle as the potential prize. But who of the three is really in control? Who is the user and who is being used? In this three-way struggle for power, each character must fight for their own identity and even, in the end, their own survival… Neil Bristow grew up in Dublin, Ireland and studied English Literature at university. He has a previous commission from one of Dublin’s leading theatre companies and had a staged reading at the Dublin Theatre Festival. He has lived on and off in Berlin for several years, and also works as a script reader. Double Bound is his third play. |