• Stage
  • Is Anybody Home? ★★★★

Stage

Is Anybody Home? ★★★★

This new showcase from the performance collective Gob Squad features an onstage performance alongside a live-stream feed from the streets of Berlin.

Photo: David Baltzer

The concept is simple, if disquieting: in this interactive piece, a guest performer on stage plays opposite the British-German performance collective, Gob Squad, who are on the streets of Berlin and connected to us through a live stream. The former opens up their home (literally, with keys) to the latter. What follows is a candid exploration of personal boundaries and private memories, as members of the Gob Squad begin to take over the guest performer’s living space. From pictures and clothes to personal diaries, everything is fair game but must be negotiated transparently in front of a captive audience.

What follows is a candid exploration of personal boundaries and private memories

There is an inherent drama here: anything is possible, as the exchange is not pre-planned. It’s the precarity of this setup (both technical and emotional), that makes it an intriguing watch. The sound design by Catalina Fernandez and Isabel Gonzales Toro guides you gently through the narrative, allowing you to surrender to the work’s surrealist undertones while still letting you maintain a distance. Miles Chalcraft’s uncomplicated video design complements the performers’ playful body language and interaction with the camera.

  • Volksbühne, Linienstr. 227, Mitte. 09.02; 20.02 and 17.03. In English and German. Click here to buy tickets.