etb English
Theatre
Berlin International Performing Arts Center

Blog Archive

2018 Expo Info Abend and Artists Mixer

Calling all Berlin-based performing artists! We’re holding an information night and artist mixer for our annual festival! Come by on Tuesday, January 9 beginning at 7pm to meet potential collaborators, see our space and find out everything you need to know to apply to have your work included in the festival! Over the past five years, numerous Expo productions have been created as a result of artists meeting at the festival’s Info Abend and deciding to make new work together.

The Expat Expo | Immigrant Invasion: A Showcase of Wahlberliner is an annual festival conceived and curated by Daniel Brunet that debuted in 2013. We put our Miete where our mouth is with this festival featuring our most important resource – the community of international artists and the English-language Freie Szene.

Over six evenings, the Expo features a curated selection of one or two professional performances per evening on our stage (in every genre imaginable) and on Sunday, April 22, we invite you to ExpLoRE, the format for newcomers, featuring 10 shorter performances and work-in-progress taking place throughout our entire facility, from our stage to our dressing rooms to our breathtaking courtyard.

The 2018 edition of the festival will be held from April 22 – 28, 2018.

This year, we’re looking to showcase one or two professional productions by Berlin-based artists each evening from Monday, April 23 through Saturday, April 28. Works should be between approximately 45 and 105 minutes in length.

We can also consider shorter works for performance throughout our facility or courtyard during the day on April 22, 2018.

Learn more about the festival and see the lineup from last year right here!

Applications for the 2018 Expat Expo are due by midnight on Monday, January 30, 2018 and the complete lineup will be announced on or about February 15, 2018.

HeLa

The Poetic-Scientific Dream-Fate of Henrietta Lacks

a new play by Lauren Gunderson and Geetha Reddy

When Henrietta Lacks, a 31-year-old African-American mother of five was dying of cancer in a Baltimore hospital in 1951, doctors took samples of her tumor cells and gave the cell line the name HeLa. The HeLa cells were the first ones to stay alive outside the human body and multiply. They became an extremely valuable asset in medical research, generating treatments for polio and numerous other drugs. Millions of dollars were made with Henrietta´s cells. HeLa cells are still used for research in countless labs around the world. Henrietta, however, never gave her consent to have the samples taken and was not even asked. It was not until 1975 that her family learned about the connection between Henrietta and the HeLa cells.

In a kaleidoscope of emotional flashbacks, sweet memories and bitter dreams, HeLa explores the story of Henrietta Lacks’ life and death and her posthumous life. It is a tale of love, togetherness and fate, but also of exploitation, neglect and racism.

“Once again, we see how Black families in the U.S. have served us all, at great cost to themselves.”  Theatrius.com

Olam HaBa: The Next World

Who was this Polish Jew that pulled his pants down in front of everyone and sat on the holy book with his bare bottom?

Who was this Jakob Frank, revered by his fans as a messiah and who converted from Judaism to Islam and from Islam to Catholicism? Who was persecuted by the powerful in Poland in the 18th century, spent many years in prison in Tschenstochau and whose story came to a strange but happy end in Offenbach am Main?

The performers LeinzLieberman have searched for the motives behinds this mystical messianic movement over the course of multiple trips tracing the footsteps of Jakob Frank. And they let themselves, together with the designer and DJ Markus Wente, be inspired by it in their new performance. They bring motifs and texts of Jakob Frank to the stage and then transform it into images and movements that also reflect the feelings and desires of people in the Berlin art and party scenes. Using both subtle and expansive images, they tell the story of a search for a new world in which all parts are once again integrated into a complete whole.

 

Followed by a post-performance discussion

LeinzLieberman are the performance makers Shlomo Lieberman (Israel/Germany) and Ulrich Leinz (Germany). Over the last three years, their work has been included in three consecutive Expat Expo | Immigration Invasion festivals and we premiered their groundbreaking The Other/Promised Land in the fall of 2016. We are very excited to host them – collaborating with colleagues – as our fall artists in residence, presenting three different works in September, October and November.

Lovers1 will be performed on September 29 and The Other/Promised Land will be performed on October 13.

The Other/Promised Land

“Maybe it’s just a myth.
You have your own history.
I have my own history.
And now we are just sharing the bathroom.”

Shlomo Lieberman and Ulrich Leinz confront three very different love stories in their performance: the disturbing memories about the grandmother who survived Auschwitz, the painful love letters of the German grandfather from Warsaw in 1943 and their own attempt to survive their relationship as a gay German/Israeli couple in Berlin.

LeinzLieberman are the performance makers Shlomo Lieberman (Israel/Germany) and Ulrich Leinz (Germany). Over the last three years, their work has been included in three consecutive Expat Expo | Immigration Invasion festivals and we premiered their groundbreaking The Other/Promised Land in the fall of 2016. We are very excited to host them – collaborating with colleagues – as our fall artists in residence, presenting three different works in September, October and November.

Lovers1 will be performed on September 29 and the first public presentation of their newest work-in-progress, Olam HaBa – The Next World, will be presented in THE LAB on November 3.

Lovers1

A distillation of “love” by Shlomo Lieberman & Tomer Zirkilevich: a performance for three blindfolded performers, a tv set and surtitles

What happens when two are no longer enough? Is there still the same intimacy as before? Other lovers appear. How to continue now?

In the second version of the performance they created last year as a duo, Shlomo Lieberman and Tomer Zirkilevich invite Austin Fagan for a trio.

The setting remains the same: the performers are blindfolded on an empty stage. Their task is to lift or to be lifted. And they repeat this procedure over and over as a ritual they cannot avoid. But unlike the performance last year, the roles are not clear as they were. Who is lifting whom? What should one do when he is left out? Does one should find a new role for himself? What are the options?

The performance provides insight into the fragility of relations, shows how aggression is easily evoked and can turn into grief. And how grief can establish power.

“Love is like a toy. If you play too much with it, you’ll break it. But if you don’t play with this toy, why should you have it?” (Surtitle at 5:43 min)

LeinzLieberman are the performance makers Shlomo Lieberman (Israel/Germany) and Ulrich Leinz (Germany). Over the last three years, their work has been included in three consecutive Expat Expo | Immigration Invasion festivals and we premiered their groundbreaking The Other/Promised Land in the fall of 2016. We are very excited to host them – collaborating with colleagues – as our fall artists in residence, presenting three different works in September, October and November.

The Other/Promised Land will be performed on October 13 and the first public presentation of their newest work-in-progress, Olam HaBa – The Next World, will be presented in THE LAB on November 3.

Watch an excerpt of Lovers1

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Vimeo. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

More Information

Unblock content Accept required service and unblock content

Latent Dreams

Latent Dreams is a performance about the future.

Or more specifically the possible futures for the human race beyond the system of capitalism. The performance grew out of the quote “it’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism”, often cited to Frederic Jameson in his essay Future Cities.

Intrigued by this quote, I began to research possible alternatives to the capitalist system, and came across a “widespread lack of conviction in the possibility of transcending capitalism, and indeed, a difficulty in even imagining such a task”[1]. I wanted to encourage more discussions around alternative systems, and so I created Latent Dreams, about the futures we allow ourselves to envision, as a provocation to envision alternative ones.

Using the frame of Hollywood films, Latent Dreams unravels the inherent capitalist ideologies embodied in popular concepts of the Apocalypse. It involves a solo performer typing a “plot summary” of a disaster film, which is rewritten and rewritten, erased, repeated and deleted throughout the performance. The text is humorous, occasionally poignant, often misspelled and always human.

Latent Dreams aims not to provide a solution, but instead open a dialogue on imagined futures, and alternative systems.

[1] Hahnel, Robert & Wright, Erik Olin, Alternatives to Capitalism: Proposals for a Democratic Economy, p5.

Latent Dreams was conceived as part of the MLitt Theatre Practice at the University of Glasgow. It was first performed at the Gilmorehill Theatre, Glasgow, in September 2016. After presenting the show in its original form in the 2017 Expat Expo | Immigrant Invasion festival, we are proud to present a run of this extended, revised Berlin-specific version.

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Vimeo. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

More Information

Unblock content Accept required service and unblock content

Katrine Turner is a performance maker based between Berlin and Glasgow. She creates performance for different social contexts, settings and audiences. In November 2016, she graduated from the University of Glasgow in MLitt Theatre Practice with Distinction, where she was the College of the Arts Bellahouston Scholar 2015/2016.

#Instalove

Is it love? Is it weakness? Hope or desperation? Why do we do it? Again and again.

In this interactive show, one woman finds herself on the brink of love, lust, fear and hope. YOU, the audience, are her dates. YOU decide how her story unfolds.

#Instalove is a joyful, electrifying, and at times stormy celebration of all the reasons we seek love – from the playful to the pathetic, the pragmatic to the passionate. It transposes the quest for love into a live competitive game, in which Catherine competes with herself – her many selves – for the audience’s affections. The audience are her co-players and vote for a winner, so every night is different.

Laugh, sigh, dance, and cry. Expect to make one hot mess. Together, you and Catherine will explore the modern search for timeless romance.

After presenting Catherine’s performance Celebrity Bound first as part of the 2014 Expat Expo | Immigrant Invasion Festival and then in two separate additional runs, we are thrilled to bring back our production of the world premiere of #Instalove freshly from a 20-performances run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe!!

Special thanks to Lovoo for their support! There will be a post-performance event in conjunction with Lovoo on  October 26 exploring the topics of “Love in the Digital Age – Insights by LOVOO and an External Research Project” and Love is Risky vs. Love is Predictable in the Era of Dating Apps”.

There will also be a post-performance discussion in conjunction with Theater Scoutings Berlin on October 27!

Berlin-based US-American performer, writer, director Catherine Duquette specializes in audience-performer relations and improvisation within scripted drama. She creates intimate participatory works that draw on autobiographical materials to share contemporary experiences with active audiences. Curious about expanding notions of performance, Catherine fuses theater, interactive poetry, scripts, and choice-based narrative for video games. She is currently exploring game design as a dramaturgical approach to theater in order to allow audiences more emotional and personal investment in what happens on stage.
Based in Berlin, her work has been supported by MOMENTUM Gallery, Camden People’s Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, theSpaceUK, TRAFO Center for Contemporary Art in Poland, a Fulbright Fellowship in Spain, the International Festival of the Delphic Games in Greece, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, Colorado, and the Subterranean Art House in Berkeley, California.
Artist and agitator Ruth Sergel creates compassionate works that explode out the boundaries of traditional mediums. Inspired by rebels, visionary pedagogues and magicians, Ruth’s work bridges art and technology, memory and wonder to incite individual and social transformation. Ruth’s films, public interventions and interactive installations have been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, Boston Museum of Fine Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, National Museum of Women in the Arts, New-York Historical Society, Gray Art Gallery, Anthology Film Archives and 3LD Art + Technology Center. Her work has been shown internationally including Clermont-Ferrand (France), Shift Festival (Basel) and Théâtre de la Ville, (Paris) as well as broadcast on the Independent Film Channel (IFC) and PBS.
Ruth’s projects have been supported by the Jerome Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, Experimental Television Center, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and the 21st Century ILGWU Heritage Fund. Ruth was the Resident Researcher in Video at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) where she received her Master’s degree and a fellow in Public Humanities at Brown University. Additional residencies include Yaddo, Squeaky Wheel, CESTA (Czech Republic), Digital Performance Institute, and Here Arts Center. Her work has been widely covered in the press including the New York Times, NY Daily News, NPR, CNN, and the Huffington Post.

Ich Kann Nicht Atmen

What do you do if you can’t do anything?

Taking its cue from Václav Havel’s seminal 1978 essay The Power of the Powerless, the performance-lecture Ich kann nicht atmen [IKNA] gives an insider’s account – bitter, hilarious and savagely satirical – of what it’s like to live inside the immersive, sensurround scam that various lobbyists, eco-hypocrites and political pygmies have defined as energetische Modernisierung.

The profit-led and undesired changes to one particular apartment building, for which the inhabitants ultimately pay, serves as an example of how the face of an entire capital city is being fundamentally and irrevocably altered for generations to come.

Followed by a post-performance discussion in collaboration with Theater Scoutings Berlin!

#Instalove

Is this love? Is this weakness? Hope or desperation? Why do we do it? Again and again.

Let’s try it together. You and me. Tonight. Tonight will be our story. The story of how we met, how it was magical and easy, how we laughed. Your eyes, your smell, the taste of your skin.

#Instalove is our story. A participatory performance. A real-time attempt at you + me = us. It begins with an impulse, a desire to connect. A dating app sets us in motion. I show you my selves. My many selves. You make a choice. Which of me do you want? Which of you do I want? Who will I become with you? Who will you be with me?

Let’s give it a shot. If it doesn’t work out, if it begins to slow down, if the cracks start appearing – the neglect, the tear, the break – we can try again. I can repeat the past, or I can move forward.

Each night is unique. Each night is our own. #Instalove is our chance at us.

After presenting Catherine’s performance Celebrity Bound first as part of the 2014 Expat Expo | Immigrant Invasion Festival and then in two separate additional runs, we are thrilled to be able to produce the world premiere of #Instalove!

A pre- or post-performance event will be held every night, including speed dating, a talk on genderfluidity and modern love, interactive gaming presented by BerlinGameScene.com and more!

Thursday, July 6: A post-performance discussion about intimacy, identity, relationships and sexuality with Franziska Krüger, Lisa Kirchner and Susanne Scheerer | www.cambyo.co

Friday, July 7: A post-performance discussion with Catherine Duquette and Ruth Sergel, moderated by Daniel Brunet

Saturday, July 8: Speed Dating with Elise Terranova | www.eliseterranova.com

Thursday, July 13: Lorenzo Pilia and BerlinGameScene.com will showcase three games by Franziska Zeiner in our lobby, followed by a post-performance discussion moderated by Elise Terranova

Franziska Zeiner is a game designer and print magazine editor, interested in creating meaningful, user-centered experiences. She is passionate about feminism, quirky games, observing mundane everyday interactions and turning them into digital experiences.

The following games will be available to play from Thursday, July 13 through Saturday, July 15:

• social_me – A surreal, socio-political game that mimics players and their social media habits

• Kiss Me Maybe – A competitive kissing game

• Single Player – A speed dating simulator (made with Major Bueno)

Franziska will also be talking about her work together with Elise Terranova, host of Life and Dev podcast.

Friday, July 14: A post-performance discussion with Lovoo about dating in the 21st century, in collaboration with Theater Scoutings Berlin

Saturday, July 15: A post-performance discussion on human interaction in the digital era and how people meet people nowadays with Alex J. Eccleston of the Bad Bruises and The House of Red Doors

Special thanks to Lovoo for their support!

Berlin-based US-American performer, writer, director Catherine Duquette specializes in audience-performer relations and improvisation within scripted drama. She creates intimate participatory works that draw on autobiographical materials to share contemporary experiences with active audiences. Curious about expanding notions of performance, Catherine fuses theater, interactive poetry, scripts, and choice-based narrative for video games. She is currently exploring game design as a dramaturgical approach to theater in order to allow audiences more emotional and personal investment in what happens on stage.

Based in Berlin, her work has been supported by MOMENTUM Gallery, Camden People’s Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, theSpaceUK, TRAFO Center for Contemporary Art in Poland, a Fulbright Fellowship in Spain, the International Festival of the Delphic Games in Greece, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, Colorado, and the Subterranean Art House in Berkeley, California.

Artist and agitator Ruth Sergel creates compassionate works that explode out the boundaries of traditional mediums. Inspired by rebels, visionary pedagogues and magicians, Ruth’s work bridges art and technology, memory and wonder to incite individual and social transformation. Ruth’s films, public interventions and interactive installations have been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, Boston Museum of Fine Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, National Museum of Women in the Arts, New-York Historical Society, Gray Art Gallery, Anthology Film Archives and 3LD Art + Technology Center. Her work has been shown internationally including Clermont-Ferrand (France), Shift Festival (Basel) and Théâtre de la Ville, (Paris) as well as broadcast on the Independent Film Channel (IFC) and PBS.

Ruth’s projects have been supported by the Jerome Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, Experimental Television Center, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and the 21st Century ILGWU Heritage Fund. Ruth was the Resident Researcher in Video at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) where she received her Master’s degree and a fellow in Public Humanities at Brown University. Additional residencies include Yaddo, Squeaky Wheel, CESTA (Czech Republic), Digital Performance Institute, and Here Arts Center. Her work has been widely covered in the press including the New York Times, NY Daily News, NPR, CNN, and the Huffington Post.

When I See You I Think of…Dentist

A search for identity

Life is weird, mine is too. My passport says I’m British. But I was born here. My parents are British. My name is as well. My first language is German. I think it’s easier than English. People in the UK call me “the German”. People in Germany call me “the English girl”. I’m confused. What am I? Where do I belong? And where am I?…..ahh, no I know where I am. Leeds. West Yorkshire. England. But what does it take to be British? To become British?

This theater performance deals with the feeling of belonging somewhere – or not.