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Growler’s Grotto

Join Growler, the 82-year-old drum banging, shamanic vulva from the Liberties in Dublin in her Grotto, where no one gets left behind and no stone is left unturned as she takes you on a theatrical alchemical journey.

Growler is a sacred clown, walking the knife-edge of heartache and laughter. Using spoken word, song, storytelling and comedy, she confronts taboo topics, including grief and SA.

Her mission in these times is to help us love the ejjit out of ourselves. With a trolly in one hand and a staff in the other, she blazes a path. Her soul is a flame where everyone can warm the cockles of their heart.

“The beauty of Growler is in its roughness, its erratic meandering, its refusal to be one thing or another. It has a sacred chaos of its own, in which Mulrooney thrives.”

The List

Darragh McLoughlin

World-renowned Irish performer and circus artist Darragh McLoughlin presents a double bill! With Stickman and The Fulfillment, he turns all expectations of circus and storytelling on their head and paints a portrait of the shared moment in the theater space.

Stickman

Stickman is a performance which features a man, a stick and a TV.

The man balances the stick on various parts of his body, thereby setting himself and the stick in motion.

If the man has an agenda, he keeps it to himself.

The stick gets moved around and balanced by the man seeming to not have much to say.

The TV lurks in the background and throughout the performance puts titles on whatever the man and the stick are doing; thus attempting to dictate what the audience see.

All the while the audience watches and tries to keep up with the ever changing rules of play.

Then the TV titles them. ‘WATCHERS’.

Stickman is an exploration of our relationships with meaning, empathy and agency.

“The phantasmagoric movements created by each meticulously calculated move and the deep exploration of each stick elicited occasional voices of pure “wow” and “wow” from the audience. It was leaking.” Mayu Yoshihira (Daily Journal Editorial Department)

“I watched the whole thing unfold with excitement. That’s the only rule of the space magic called theater.” Sae Shimaizawa (Daily Journal Editorial Department)

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The Fulfillment

To fulfill: (verb)

1. achieve or realize (something desired, promised, or predicted).

2. carry out (a duty or role) as required, promised, or expected.

The Fulfillment is a modular, audience-driven performance built around a simple mechanic: an empty frame and a title. What happens next is determined by those present, and gradually as the fulfilled frames accumulate, an unpredictable live exhibition emerges, shaped entirely by those present.

Each performance becomes a portrait of our collective moment.

Darragh McLoughlin was born in 1987 in Ireland as youngest of three siblings and son of two professional chefs. In 2006 he moved to Berlin to attend the Jonglier Katakomben School of Juggling. In 2008, he attended the Academy for Circus and Performance Art and completed his education with a bachelor degree in Circus Arts. In 2014, he was selected as a Circus Next laureate with Fragments of a Mind and has since created several acclaimed works: The Whistle, Stickman and For as Long as We’re Here. Besides his performance work he has created conceptual artwork series: The Fulfillment, Stories of Falling Objects, Variations of Stickman and WATCHERS.

Darragh teaches at different professional institutions around Europe: FLIC Scuola di Circo, ACAPA, Die Etage, CODARTS and Les Beaux Arts, HMDK Stuttgart.

No One Comes Back

When one twin goes to war, can the other escape it?

When her twin brother is deployed as a fighter pilot, a sister finds herself in a war she never signed up for. Bombings, cornfields, deer eyeballs and shamans, No One Comes Back is a story about war, twinhood and what it means to save each other when no one really comes back.

The play moves between rural US-American childhood and the wildly different paths the twins take as adults. One heads into military service, the other into art school, Berlin and a string of questionable survival strategies. With humor and candor, it asks how families carry violence by proxy, how love persists under pressure, and if late-night phone calls can bridge the distance between two twins at risk of losing themselves.

This raw and unforgettable new play explores the ways we wage war and the complicated love that shapes us, whether we want it to or not.

Cynthia

A drag-puppet-theater spectacle about the world’s first non-human influencer from 1937

Cynthia was a model, an influencer, a socialite, a celebrity and a household name in the USA in 1937. But unlike other celebrities of her day, she was dismantled into pieces at the end of her day and stowed away in a body bag. Cynthia was a mannequin. Her creator, Lester Gaba, a window display designer in New York City, became her manager, puppeteer and chaperone. He escorted her to dinner clubs, theater premieres and fashion shows, as well as performing for her and responding to her adoring fans on her behalf.

Let this delightful fever dream of a show take you down the slippery slope from entertaining spectacle into the uncanny valley.

Featuring Berlin Drag King Alexander Cameltoe as Lester Gaba, with his world animated by an ensemble of puppeteers.

Letters From Chiran

Letters from Chiran is a piece of mask theater performed by Tomoya Kawamura, inspired freely by the historical facts of the last world war and the stories left behind by young Japanese soldiers at the local shokudo (canteen) just outside the military airbase of Chiran in southern Japan.

The play delicately reveals the difference of perspectives between the lives of ordinary people in the midst of a largely devastating war and those who lightly make the decision of joining a conflict, compromising the lives of millions in the name of false ideals and personal satisfaction.

In 1945, the pilots of the Japanese Special Attack Units, commonly known as kamikaze, would share some of their stories, hopes and dreams with the owner of the shokudo while having a meal or a green tea before beginning what was, for many of them, their final mission.

Thanks to the owner of the shokudo, some of their last letters were hidden from the military censorship. She secretly delivered them to pilots’ families once the war was over.

Letters from Chiran forces us to ask: is there any scenario where sacrifice like this is acceptable?

Parataxe – International Literature

A PARATAXE presentation featuring the BERLIN ASIA ARTS CLUB:

The art of building bridges with words – a reading with Dasom Young, Mui Pooposaksul & Christina Ng. A special literary evening in English spoken language with sections in Korean, Thai and Chinese, hosted by Martin Jankowski.

Eine Veranstaltung der PARATAXE in Zusammenarbeit mit dem BERLIN ASIA ARTS CLUB und dem ENGLISH THEATRE BERLIN | INTERNATION PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, gefördert von der Berliner Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt.

An event by PARATAXE in collaboration with the BERLIN ASIA ARTS CLUB and ENGLISH THEATRE BERLIN | INTERNATIONAL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, funded by Berlin’s Senate Department for Culture and Community.

Fest of Fools

The Fest of Fools is a festival that highlights humor as a medium in choreography, cultural practice and social
dialogue. Held over three days, the festival brings together five choreographers who utilize humor as a liberating cultural technique to address and clarify its systemic relevance, particularly during times of crisis.

Through five performances and one workshop, “Humor as a choreographic, aesthetic and political tool in cultural praxis” , the festival investigates humor as both a cultural and social phenomenon. The works presented aim to examine humor’s essential aspects and its cathartic function, exploring its potential to create distance, provoke thoughts and break societal boundaries. The festival seeks to present a variety of artistic expressions, using humor as a tool for critique and a catalyst for transformation.

Wednesday, May 14

8:00 pm Gats Surprise / Scapes of Landscape by Lukáš Karásek (tYhle collective)

Gats Surprise is a short solo trip of an elusive creature named Gats, originating from the world of the performance Scapes of Landscape by tYhle. Gats surprise not only the audience but also themselves in what they turn out to be. They have a large family, but suffer from loneliness. They are interested in Tarkovsky and comic books. They look completely different on the inside than they do on the outside, but no one knows how.

8:30pm The Trinity by Raul Vargas Torres

A choreographic cleansing journey, where daily kids-toys, music and actions take a hyperreal shape under the dual horizon of love and death, violence and emancipation, childhood and adulthood, father and mother. Unveiling the paradoxical resistance and violence of accepting to perform a role, in an imposed narrative, in which one is a byproduct or consequence of it. A performance which does not pretend to answer any question. A performance that happens at the friction between: what we imagine is happening and what is actually happening.

9:30pm Post-performance discussion

Thursday, May 15

10am Workshop: “Humor as a cultural, aesthetic and political tool in times of crisis” as part of the IETM plenary meeting (off-site, Studio 0/1 Gottlieb-Dunkel-Straße 30/32, 12099 Berlin) – to attend, please register HERE

8pm DEVOURER by Alica Minar & col.

One body, a bunch of black balls, a clear task and countless greed. A dance performance inspired by the principles of the clown fi gure and black hole theory. DEVOURER exists only to have. In a determined eff ort to take everything for its own, it absorbs light, inhales space and materializes time. Its transformation manifests gradually. A body of greed caught in action. How can the „self“ be maximized? Singularity. It’s a hypothetical point. „I am a star, I shine like a supernova…or have I become a black hole?“

9pm Post-performance discussion

Friday, May 16

8pm DauerDeviation (work-in-progress) by Kysy Fischer

The main goal of this work in progress is to develop a choreographic strategy of deviation in which the norms of movement are provoked and expanded. Kysy creates a chain of associations between movements, sounds and images. Thoughts, words and sentences deviate, taking new paths and constructing new meanings.

8:30pm ~~ha ha ha~~ hi!by Felix Baumann | Von B bis Z

In ~~ha ha ha~~ hi!a mediocre comedian attempts to tell a joke with a life-changing impact. However, he lacks the words or the right microphone setting for a real breakthrough. As he grapples with his shortcomings, he embraces absurdity, employing every tool at his disposal to create moments of comic folly.
The solo performance ~~ha ha ha~~ hi! blends dance, circus, physical comedy and object manipulation, and celebrates the art of joking, cheerful silliness, raw humor and the beauty of happy futility. It invites the audience into a world where minimalism meets eccentricity and playfull foolishness becomes profound.

9:30pm Post-performance discussion

Intelligent Movement

This special three-day event brings together dance, theater, writing, hip-hop and calligraphy! Dancers are invited to sign up and show what they’ve got in allstyle battles while the audience takes in panel discussions, jam sessions, battles and showcases!

Special Guest: Mhanna Letters

Amigo, who has long been exploring the connection between movement and writing,
will lead the event. Together with his friend Tako Baba, he has gained valuable experience
at the Funkin’ Stylez Festival paving the way for hip-hop theater.

Exhibition: Following the event, Bouzuqee Studio will present a small exhibition on the topic of dance & writing.

FRIDAY – BATTLE CULTURE

Topic: Battle Culture – Creative Exchange and the Exploration of New Spaces for Dance

Battle Culture is an important part of hip-hop culture, focusing not on competition, but instead on creative exchange, repartee and the experiencing of special moments. The goal is to discover new spaces together and bring the creativity to a new level.

Schedule of Events:

Hosted by Iman (Walashe)

6pm – Presentation by Saman Hamdi: Hip-Hop’s Organic Educators

A look at the philosophy and educational approaches that distinguish hip-hop culture.

6pm-7pm – Registration of the Dancers

Dancers can sign up to take part in the allstyle battles.

7pm – Cypher Jam with Music

Dancers are invited to show what they’ve got in an open format. The focus here is placed on creativity and spontaneity. The goal is to develop new ideas and support exchange. Seven dancers will be selected by the jury.

Judges & Panelists: Pez, Kupra, Penny K, Chica – J

Featuring DJ Peeps

7:45 pm – Locking Showcase

Featuring Cris, Penny K, Laura, Dani, Kupra, Philipp, Eylo & Amigo

8pm – Panel Discussion: Battle Culture: Souldance & Locking

With Penny K, Kupra, Penny, Chica – J & Amigo

Host: İman

This panel discussion will explore Japanese dance culture and the significance of souldance as well as the influence of Campbell locking on souldance and the global hip-hop community.

8:30 pm – Battles: 7 to Smoke Allstyle

Music by DJ Peeps

9pm – JAM with DJ Peeps

An open dance session with music by our DJ, offering a free space for creative expression.

10pm – End

SATURDAY – PERFORMANCE DAY

Many creative dancers are active in the battle scene. The performance session gives these creative minds a platform on stage. The session is open to all dancers who want to try out choreographies or concepts in front of an audience. Improvisation is just as welcome as a finished concept.

Schedule of Events:

7pm – Short Pieces by Berlin Dancers

Different dancers from Berlin present short choreographies that bring their dance style and personal stories to the stage.

Six short performances from Berlin & feedback from the audience

Hosted by Iman (Walashe)

With visuals by Geso

8:30 pm – Digital Calligraffiti Performance with Harshini, Mhanna Letters, Parole & Amigo

The Digital Calligraffiti project is initiated by Susa Pop | Public Art Lab and curated in cooperation
with Don Karl | From Here to Fame Publishing with the artist Michael Ang.

9pm – Panel Discussion: The Future of Theater with Harshini, Moe & Amigo

10pm – End

SUNDAY – Exhibition At the Bouzuqee Studio – 2pm

MOVEMENT & LETTERS

Works on paper by:

MINA / STOHEAD / MOSA87 / MHANNA / 2501 / PARİS URTEIL

PAROLE / THEOS / ZASD / ZEPHA / VINCENT GRUNWALD / AMIGO

So Many Ideas

So Many Ideas is a performance that explores a moral crisis we cannot quite name: a silent, self-destructive malaise, an obscure calamity.

Set in a crumbling portside hotel room at the edge of their civilization, three women—one terminally ill—take refuge in their shared space. One plays the violin almost absentmindedly, another sings, while the other murmurs, dreams, pleads and remembers. Together, their words overlap, complete, and challenge one another like a Baroque cadenza—a reflection of culture, a nervous tic, an urgent search for meaning: how they got there; how we all got here.

Drawing inspiration from Paul Bowles’ The Sheltering Sky, Wallace Shawn’s The Fever, and musically from Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto, So Many Ideas confronts the present moment: in a world overflowing with brilliance, beauty, and invention—so many choices, so much creativity—why do we keep ending up in the same places, with so little to show for it?

85 minutes, sung and spoken in English, German and Italian, partially subtitled in German and English

A Guide To Self-Synthesis

With its new performance, Opera Lab Berlin takes inspiration from pioneers of electronic music such as Wendy Carlos, SOPHIE and Pauline Oliveros in their new performance. They celebrate overcoming mechanical-acoustic sound production and going beyond heteronormative boundaries.

Together with trans singer-songwriter Marlene Bellissimo, known from The Voice of Germany, Opera Lab Berlin explores the sonic potential of electronics for defining your own parameters in A Guide To Self-Synthesis. Its transformative, transgressive power and frequencies of (self-)expression become the focus of the performance, for which composer Evan Gardner creates a pluralistic combination of notated but non-restrictive sound fields. The US-American university professor and and activist Susan Stryker, one of the foremost scholars in the field of (trans)gender studies, will take the stage as a special guest with her own contribution to the production.

What possibilities does synthetic sound production offer? How do queer harmonies and trans oscillators sound? Following the principle of Mauricio Kagel’s instrumental theater, singing and dancing, music from synthesizers, motion-tracking technology, composition and choreography come together in A Guide to Self-Synthesis, a new utopian and emancipatory celebration of electronic music.

“[Opera Lab Berlin is] one of the most experimental and refreshing musical theater groups in the Berlin’s independent performing arts community” (Siegessäule),

MARLENE BELLISSIMO is a trans woman and musician. As a trans singer-songwriter often focusing on trans voices in her work, she is interested in how gender fluidity can be expressed through the voice. On TikTok, she celebrates the diversity of trans voices, performing one-woman-duets that showcase her vocal range. In 2023, she released an EP titled christmas with my dead self, and she is known on YouTube for her documentary Finding a Trans Voice, where she discusses the philosophical and practical journey of finding a new voice through her transition. In September 2024, Marlene Bellissimo appeared on The Voice of Germany, astonishing the judges with her vocal artistry.

The Opera Lab Berlin music theater ensemble is a hybrid collective that links all creative elements together. People from all artistic fields come together in Opera Lab: whether music, acting, composition, directing, instruments, choreography, stage and costume design, lighting, stagecraft or dramaturgy – equality is a core principle at Opera Lab Berlin. Since its founding in 2013, the collective has brought over 30 original productions to the stage, featuring compositions by more than 40 contemporary composers and directed by over 18 different directors. The core ensemble has grown to more than 30 members and they collaborate with over 100 artists and production staff.