Foreign Affairs 2013 took place from 27 June to 4 August 2013.

Berliner Festspiele

What’s On

Exhibitions

William Forsythe is recognized as one of the world’s foremost choreographers. His work is acknowledged for reorienting the practice of ballet from its identification with classical repertoire to a dynamic 21st-century art form. Forsythes deep interest in the fundamental principles of organisation has led him to produce a wide range of projects including Installations, Films, and Web based knowledge creation. “A choreographic object is not a substitute for the body, but rather an alternative site for the understanding of potential instigation and organization of action to reside” (William Forsythe). In the KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Auguststra&szlig;e Berlin, two films will be shown during Foreign Affairs.

Ausstellung

Exhibition

Foreign Affairs 2013

Foreign Affairs

KW Institute for Contemporary Art

Suspense & The Defenders Part 3

William Forsythe

“As soon as you enter the castle you begin to dance”. William Forsythe’s monumental installation “White Bouncy Castle”, designed with Dana Caspersen to a soundtrack by Joel Ryan, is only superficially a wonderful summer plaything. Much more, this work that consists of a ton of snow-white plastic is an experience of physicality and interaction, a humorous but nonetheless serious examination of choreography in everyday life in which there are only participants, no observers. More then twenty years ago, William Forsythe began exploring other forms of choreography alongside his work for the stage and developed the term “Choreographic Objects“. “The ‘White Bouncy Castle’ alters the most diverse conditions of physical and spatial organisation connected to choreography into a self-sufficiency that is no longer in need of a guiding influence“, according to Forsythe. Complete destabilisation, absurd social situations and the inevitable integration of the participants into the act determine the distinguishing kinetics of the over 30-metre-long sculpture. The inadvertent euphoria that is created is infectious and, in some cases, addictive.

Lokhalle Schöneberg (Natur-Park Schöneberger Südgelände)

Lokhalle Sch&ouml;neberg (Natur-Park Sch&ouml;neberger S&uuml;dgel&auml;nde)

White Bouncy Castle

The phenomenon of the bet recurs in different social contexts; from post-Fordist financial speculation to gambling, from Mephistopheles’ bet with God to the Book of Job, wagers are made on the outcome of events.With “Connect Four: The Bet”, KW Institute for Contemporary Art continues, in the form of an exhibition, its examination of betting and speculation which also took place during “The Bet: A Study On Doubt, Contingency And Meaning In Economy And Society” performance weekend in conjunction with Foreign Affairs. Four artistic positions debate the meaning of the bet from different perspectives:With the installation-performance cycle “Mehrung”, the artists B&ouml;hler &amp; Orendt bring together two central aspect of the bet: belief and conjecture. As in Pascal’s wager, in which Cartesian doubt about the existence of God was skirted using a wager about God, the visitors to this new work submit themselves fully to a speculative future despite knowing that it could easily be false. The setting of “Mehrung #5” evokes a cult whose rules and rites cannot be deciphered. The object they have dedicated themselves to and worship in the manner of a religious sect is an exponential curve. The visualization of the exponential function reveals the growing progression of values in a coordinate system to be a reflection of a meritocracy in which the increase of capital is the highest priority.In their work “Get Lost” (2007), the French duo Claire Fontaine portrays the complexity of interpersonal relationships in the capitalist system. With reference to Hamlet’s words “I did love you once”, the viewer is presented with an excess of attractive pairing options on two monitors: A surplus of photos of attractive people flicker in front of viewers, positioning the idea of love in relation to consumption and affluence. As a result, the impression emerges that love isn’t merely fleeting and entertaining, that under neo-liberalism even love and relationships are subject to the rules of the market.The Swedish artist collective Goldin+Senneby examine the phenomenon of the bet against the background of capitalist financial speculation. In a society in which betting is largely reduced to meaningless games of chance, their work “The Discreet Charm” (2011/2012) positions economic financial strategies as the most significant bets of our time – wagers which put the existence of entire states and social systems on the line and yet can only be played and controlled by a few.In his contribution to the exhibition, the American artist Daniel Keller speculates about the future of work. Keller negotiates utopian and dystopian ideas (by the author Martin Ford, for example) about the work structures of the future, and translates this debate into visual objects: three-dimensional PVC lettering showing mindless job descriptions from a high-tech future, in which work and jobs have to be artificially produced.

Vier gewinnt: Die Wette

Connect Four: The&nbsp;Bet

Connect Four: The Bet

Past Events

2013

Festivals & Programme Series

Upcoming

The Berliner Festspiele organise a range of festivals and art exhibitions, concerts, dance and theatre performances, readings, lectures, debates and much more throughout the year. These events are presented at a range of locations across Berlin but are concentrated primarily at their own two venues: the Gropius Bau and the Haus der Berliner Festspiele.

The Berliner Festspiele programme archive includes all events from 2004 onwards.

The archive pages of the current festivals and programme series can be found in the menu of the respective festival under Programme/Archive.

Berliner Festspiele&rsquo;s own events, guest events and past festivals and programme series are listed on this page.

Foreign Affairs 2013 took place from 27 June to 4 August 2013.

Foreign Affairs was the Berliner Festspiele&#39;s international performing arts festival with an intercultural, discursive and politically informed interdisciplinary programme.

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programm

Programme

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Berliner Festspiele 75

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You can listen to some of our events this year digitally in the Berliner Festspiele Media Library after the live concerts.&nbsp;In addition, On Demand offers from past years are available.

Musikfest Berlin in the Media Library

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The international Jazzfest Research Lab&nbsp;welcomes academics and students to take a critical look at the festival’s archive, its programmes, creators, musicians and – last but not least – its myths. In two seminars during the summer semester of 2024, students from the Berlin University of the Arts and the University of Hildesheim have explored the festival’s history from various perspectives. In this film, the participants give a first look at how they dealt with their research subject.

Introducing: Jazzfest Research Lab

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To mark its 60th anniversary, Jazzfest Berlin is celebrating the cultural diversity of the neighbouring district of Moabit in collaboration with around 35 official partners and initiatives and with over 350 participants of all ages.&nbsp;In June 2024, interviews were conducted with 20 partners who presented their perspectives, wishes and ideas for the Jazzfest Community Lab Moabit. You can get a first impression with this film.

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Curated by&nbsp;Meron Mendel and Saba-Nur Cheema&nbsp;

From 13 to 16 June 2024, the interdisciplinary themed days “Reflexes &amp; Reflections” on the Israel-Palestine conflict and its consequences for society in Germany took place at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. You can now find video and audio recordings of the discourse events in the Berliner Festspiele Media Library!

Reflexes &amp; Reflections. 7 October, the war in Gaza and the debate in Germany

In the Media Library

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National Youth Ballet John Neumeier

The Invisibles

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In 2026 the Berliner Festspiele celebrate their 75th anniversary. A selection of events programmed throughout the entire year engage take the anniversary as their theme or mark the occasion with works at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, the Gropius Bau, the Philharmonie, on Berlin’s Ringbahn and at other locations in the city. Outstanding international that liberal societies and their cultural institutions face in a new, multipolar world order. artists such as Marina Abramović, Gabriele St&ouml;tzer and Akira Takayama will set the agenda both thematically and aesthetically. Entitled “Die gro&szlig;e Unordnung” (The Great Disorder), the four-day focus Reflexes &amp; Reflections will also enquire about the challenges.

75 Years of the Berliner Festspiele

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The massacre, hostage-taking and rocket attacks by Hamas have shaken us deeply. The grue-some attack on Israel on 7&nbsp;October left us stunned and initially lost for words.

The Berliner Festspiele on Current Events in Israel, Gaza and Germany

With this letter of intent, we, the signing cultural organizations, express our intention to welcome, host and stage Ukrainian theatre artists in our venues, to make Ukrainian dramatic work visible to the European community.

Support of the Ukrainian Cultural Scene

More Berliner Festspiele

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The Theatertreffen’s jury of critics announced their selection of the 10 most remarkable productions for the 2026 Theatertreffen. The programme will be published on 2&nbsp;April, advance ticket sale will begin on 18 April, 10:00.

Theatertreffen

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Tickets for ten selected concert highlights of the Musikfest Berlin, which in 2026 will also mark the 75th&nbsp;anniversary of the Berliner Festspiele, are already available. The programme includes Gy&ouml;rgy Ligeti’s grotesquely humorous anti-opera Le Grand Macabre and George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.

Musikfest Berlin

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A dance collage by John Neumeier which explores aspects of German expressive dance through music, texts and songs and commemorates the victims of Nazi rule. Guest performance of the National Youth Ballet John Neumeier.

The Invisibles

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The Berlinale as a guest at Haus der Berliner Festspiele

76th Berlin International Film Festival

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as a guest at Haus der Berliner Festspiele

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Performing Arts Season_neu

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Nina Laisné and François Chaignaud with Nadia Larcher

Último helecho

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Widely regarded as one of the most original and influential artists of the 20th&nbsp;century, Diane Arbus’ bold black-and-white photographs demolish aesthetic conventions and upend all certainties. With Diane Arbus: Konstellationen, Gropius Bau presents the most comprehensive exhibition of her work to date. Featuring 454&nbsp;prints, many of them shown here for the first time, Konstellationen offers new perspectives on Arbus’ iconic images and the wide range of her portraiture.

Diane Arbus: Konstellationen

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Marking twenty years since artist, writer and performer Vaginal Davis made Berlin her home, Gropius Bau presents the first comprehensive solo exhibition of her work in Germany. In her expansive oeuvre, punk meets glamour, queer activism meets Black counter-culture and resistance meets desire. Fabelhaftes Produkt offers an overview of Davis’ practice and artistic collaborations.

Vaginal Davis:&nbsp;Fabelhaftes Produkt

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A Play Space for Kids

Playing, laughing, making noise, letting off steam, doing nothing – all in an exhibition venue! With BAUBAU, the artist Kerstin Br&auml;tsch designed an&nbsp;admission-free play space for kids, where more is allowed than forbidden. On Gropius Bau’s ground floor, colourful wallpapers, structures, objects and open-ended material called “loose parts” configure flexible spaces that are shaped by children’s activities.

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Ligia Lewis is a central figure in redefining performance within the context of the visual arts. In her multifaceted practice, she combines performance, live installation and film. &nbsp;From autumn 2025, Gropius Bau presents I’M NOT HERE FORRRRR…, the artist and choreographer’s most comprehensive solo exhibition to date. It brings together new and existing works that explore themes of race, gender, violence and resistance.

Ligia Lewis: I’M NOT HERE FORRRRR…

Current and Upcoming Exhibitions at the Gropius&nbsp;Bau

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6 and 7 March 2026How does the bourgeois longing for revolt take shape, when the faith in progress and reason is unsettled? Berlin-based artist and director Leila Hekmat explores this question in her newly commissioned performance Roses Rising – The Movement, premiering in the Gropius Bau’s atrium. Moving between concert and ballet, the piece transforms the space into a landscape hovering between bunker, rehearsal room and dreamscape and invites the audience to witness a dinner party unravel into a happening.

Leila Hekmat: Roses Rising – The Movement

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19 March to 28 June 2026Working in New York City between the Stonewall uprising of 1969 and the onset of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, Peter Hujar captured a pivotal cultural moment in piercing black-and-white photographs. In the exhibition Persistence of Vision, Hujar’s photographs are interspersed with contemporary works by New York City-based artist Liz Deschenes, opening up an intergenerational dialogue on photography.&nbsp;

Peter Hujar / Liz Deschenes: Persistence of Vision

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Reopening on 15 March 2026Playing, laughing, making noise, letting off steam, doing nothing – all in an exhibition venue! With BAUBAU, the artist Kerstin Br&auml;tsch designed an&nbsp;admission-free play space for kids, where more is allowed than forbidden. On Gropius Bau’s ground floor, colourful wallpapers, structures, objects and open-ended material called “loose parts” configure flexible spaces that are shaped by children’s activities.

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14 April to 23 August 2026One of the most influential performance artists of all time, Marina Abramović presents Balkan Erotic Epic. The Exhibition at Gropius Bau in spring 2026. The show traces her ongoing engagement with ritual, eroticism, death and the body as a site of political resistance.

Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic. The Exhibition

Upcoming Exhibitions at the Gropius&nbsp;Bau

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We have been following EMAS guidelines for sustainable environmental performance since 2013. Find out more about our goals and the measures that we have already taken on the website of our umbrella organisation.

Sustainable Environmental Performance

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Active since 2018, the national network DIE VIELEN formulates clear positions against enmity, right-wing extremism and attacks against artistic freedom. With the campaign “SHIELD &amp; SHINE”, the alliance is calling out to take an even stronger stance in support of a plural, democratic orientation of the world.

SHIELD &amp; SHINE – We Are Many

<h3>Sustainable Environmental Performance</h3>We have been following EMAS guidelines for sustainable environmental performance since 2013. Find out more about our goals and the measures that we have already taken on the website of our umbrella organisation.

On the night of 30 December 2025, Ulrich Eckhardt, long-time artistic director of the Berliner Festspiele (1973–2000), passed away at the age of 91 after a short illness.Ulrich Eckhardt (born May 28, 1934, Rheine/Westphalia) was an outstanding cultural manager, musician, lawyer and, for decades, a defining figure on the international and Berlin cultural scene. The Berliner Festspiele mourn the loss of Ulrich Eckhardt. At the same time, we thank him for his extraordinary commitment, which is inextricably linked to the history of the institution and the city of Berlin.After studying law and political science in Freiburg and Münster, training as a pianist and conductor, working as a répétiteur and conductor at the Stadttheater Münster and as cultural advisor to the city of Bonn, Eckhardt took over as artistic director of Berliner Festspiele GmbH in 1973, which he led with visionary energy until the end of 2000. During these almost 28 years, he opened the institution to all branches of the performing and visual arts, thereby shaping Berlin's profile as an international cultural metropolis.Under his directorship, key festival formats such as the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), the Berliner Festwochen, the Theatertreffen, the Jazzfest Berlin, the Musik-Biennale and the Berliner Lektionen discussion series at the Renaissance Theatre were developed. His programmes always saw themselves as interfaces between political diagnosis of the times, artistic innovation and international dialogue.Highlights under his leadership included the thematic festival weeks with cultural history exhibitions such as Preußen – Versuch einer Bilanz (Prussia – An Attempt at Taking Stock) at the Martin Gropius Bau, the coordination of the city's festivities with large-scale festival contributions for Berlin's 750th anniversary in 1987, and responsibility for numerous artistic focal points on reunification, the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, and the turn of the millennium.Eckhardt was known for his cosmopolitan programming and his tireless commitment to providing a forum for East and West artists in divided and reunified Berlin. During his time as artistic director, the role of the festival as a place of exchange and artistic encounter was repeatedly redefined – as a place that enables thinking, discourse and dialogue across borders.“Ulrich Eckhardt not only made cultural policy history in the city, but also designed pioneering, courageous artistic programmes and set socially relevant themes for the whole of Germany and internationally. He was a brilliant networker, whether before reunification as a “secret” cultural policy channel of communication between the West Berlin Senate and the East Berlin magistrate, or after reunification, when he knew how to convince politicians of the need for cultural reunification to follow political reunification. Year after year, as a cooperation partner, he convinced numerous cultural figures in the city of the themes that he knew how to promote prominently and city-wide, both artistically and discursively, with the Berlin Festival. He shaped Berlin's cultural life as well as a modern, memory-conscious and future-oriented understanding of culture in Germany for longer and more sustainably than almost anyone else.” – Matthias Pees, Intendant der Berliner FestspieleAfter stepping down as artistic director, Ulrich Eckhardt continued to perform as a concert musician, including as organist at the Jesus-Christus-Kirche and St. Annen-Kirche in Berlin-Dahlem. He also opened and ran the Abakus Jo Eckhardt gallery/publishing house (2008–2016).The Berliner Festspiele pays tribute to its most important and influential artistic director. With the passing of Ulrich Eckhardt, the art and culture world has lost a formative driving force and a true cultural visionary. Our sincere condolences go out to his family, companions and all those who valued him as a mentor, partner and friend.<a href="${link:{uuid:{cb537d0b-49e5-47ec-937d-534b6ec4af02},repository:{website},path:{/bfs-de/service/presse/pressebilder/pressebild-ulrich-eckhardt}}}">Download Press image</a><hr>Press contactBerliner Festspiele <a href="mailto:presse@berlinerfestspiele.de" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">presse@berlinerfestspiele.de</a> + 49 30 254 89 262

Berliner Festspiele 2025

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On the night of 30 December 2025, Ulrich Eckhardt, long-time artistic director of the Berliner Festspiele (1973–2000), passed away at the age of 91 after a short illness.

Berliner Festspiele: On the death of Ulrich Eckhardt

On the death of Ulrich Eckhardt

All year round, Berliner Festspiele host a multitude of festivals, exhibitions and individual events in two houses – the Haus der Berliner Festspiele at Schaperstra&szlig;e and the Gropius Bau near Potsdamer Platz – and other venues in the city.

The Berliner Festspiele

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Three productions at Haus der Berliner Festspiele

Tanz im August

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On 13 January, the Theatertreffen’s jury of critics announced their selection of the 10 most remarkable productions for the 2026 Theatertreffen at a press conference. Our congratulations go to the nominated production teams and all participants!

The 10 Most Remarkable Productions 2026

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Ticket sales are on.

Concerts, Performances, Installations, Discourse Formats

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In interviews Eun-Me Ahn, Akram Khan and Ligia Lewis discuss their artistic practice and the creation of their recent works, which were presented during the Performing Arts Season 2025/26. Essays and a lecture also offer insights into the significance of dolls in Gisèle Vienne’s work, as well as into the rehearsal process for Thorsten Lensing’s Dancing Idiots.

Performing Arts Season 2025/26

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Through diverse choreographies and forms of expression in contemporary and urban dance, young dancers explored what constitutes their own identity and how it asserts itself in interaction with others. The recordings of the productions invited to the Tanztreffen der Jugend 20245 are available in the media library.&nbsp;

Tanztreffen der Jugend 2025

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In conversation with music journalist Peter Margasak and Nadin Deventer, artistic director of Jazzfest Berlin, trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith looks back on more than half a century of “Creative Music”. Also in the Media Library: two films invite viewers behind the scenes of the Jazzfest Community Film Lab.

Jazzfest Berlin

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Find out more about some of MaerzMusik’s 2025 artists, including Joan La Barbara, Laura Bowler and Pamela Z: talks, interviews and a portrait have been published in the Berliner Festspiele Media Library.

MaerzMusik 2025

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Watch the four 3sat “Starke St&uuml;cke“ from the Theatertreffen 2025 in the media library. In addition, statements from the Theatertreffen jury as well as various discussions from the “Forum Theatertreffen 1965–2025“ are available online.

Theatertreffen 2025

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On the future of debate culture: The videos of the second edition of “Reflexes &amp; Reflections with lectures, discussions and a late-night programme are available in the Media Library.

Reflexes &amp; Reflections 2025

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The central theme in the productions of the Theatertreffen der Jugend 2025 is fear: fear of the events and catastrophes that come thick and fast, fear of war, poverty and failure, fear of manipulation and being overwhelmed by social media. Recordings of the productions and the opening ceremony are available in the media library.

Theatertreffen der Jugend 2025

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Discover background information on Musikfest Berlin 2025, including interviews with selected composers and performers, stories related to the hidden object picture, and audio recordings of selected concerts, which will be available shortly after each event.

Musikfest Berlin 2025

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The Treffen junge Musikszene 2025 presents a rather young line-up of surprisingly mature, accomplished and experimental musicians, including numerous strong female artists. Recordings of the concerts are available in the media library.

Treffen junge Musikszene 2025

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In their 2025 texts, the young authors write about very personal situations and relationships, from issues of social and emotional integration to family histories and everyday observations, to questions about the global situation, politics, the climate, and social or economic injustice. The readings and other events are available in the media library.

Treffen junger Autor*innen 2025

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13 to 23 February 2025

Once more, like every year, the Berlinale will be a guest at Haus der Berliner Festspiele with a diverse film programme. On this occasion the house will be transformed into a high tech cinema.&nbsp;The spectrum of films at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele ranges from premieres and reruns of the&nbsp;Competition, Berlinale Special&nbsp;and&nbsp;Berlinale Special Gala&nbsp;to the&nbsp;Panorama&nbsp;section.

75th Berlin International Film Festival

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Advance sales are now live: tickets for ten selected concert highlights of the Musikfest Berlin, which in 2026 will also mark the 75th anniversary of the Berliner Festspiele, are now available. The program includes Gy&ouml;rgy Ligeti's grotesquely humorous anti-opera Le Grand Macabre and George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.

As an international co-production, artists Nina Laisné and François Chaignaud and singer Nadia Larcher have developed a performance that is carried by music, singing and dance at once. In “Último helecho”, European Baroque meets South American folklore and mythology.

Último helecho

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In Thorsten Lensing’s new play, Ursina Lardi, Karin Neuh&auml;user, Sebastian Blomberg, André Jung and drummer Willi Kellers play characters careening their way from one disaster to the next. What defines them is an absurd blend of brutality and tenderness, anarchy and metaphysical curiosity, existential pain and zest for life.

Tanzende Idioten

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Artist and choreographer Ligia Lewis’s new work “Wayward Chant” explores the intersections of despair and beauty through the mobilization of the chorus. A pared-down score unfolds, featuring moving, chanting bodies arranged in detailed formations.