Photo by Natalia Kabanow
While the shows at the Wilmersdorf citadel of culture this month are generally not catered to English speakers, Spielzeit still offers an unbeatable programme in terms of cultural diversity and artistic scope.
Berlin, Moscow, Prague: the three cities in Heiner Müller’s Wolokolamsker Chaussee (Dec 10-11, 20:00) have played pivotal roles in many of the biggest events in 20th-century history. His collage of texts and story is brought to surprisingly vibrant life in this Polish adaptation (shown with German surtitles) by young director Barbara Wysocka, part of a new generation of Polish directors creating some of the most exciting and unique productions coming out of Europe.
Her innovative multimedia techniques help the three-actor cast create a world on stage that evokes not only the gravity and momentum of history, but also the human fabric that knits it together.
A former disciple of Antoine Vitez and a current artistic director of the Parisian theatre La Colline, director Stéphane Braunschweig has been cementing his place as one of the most fascinating contemporary stage and opera directors on the continent.
He first arrived on the European theatre circuit in the late 1980s with novel productions of texts by the likes of Berthold Brecht and Georg Büchner and has since been applying his signature style to more classics from Shakespeare to Chekov to Ibsen and, more recently, Wagnerian opera.
Tage Unter (Days Beneath, Dec 17-18, 20:00) is his second adaptation of a text by Norwegian playwright Arne Lygre and perfect example of theatrical rhythm serving the narrative – a tale of youth held in isolation in a bunker-like cellar on the outskirts of town. Don’t miss the opportunity to witness world-class direction and thought-provoking subject matter.
