International Festival
Radar Ost 2023
Country focus Ukraine
"The front line is always closer than expected.
And we aren’t to blame, of course.
Do you know what I mean?"
From Iryna Tsylik’s Ich habe es satt mich schuldig zu fühlen (I’m tired of feeling guilty)
Can art tell of war? Politicians talk about "epochal change" and "turning times" and we are all aware that our security and values are also at stake. How prophetic, radical and entertaining, how apocalyptic, sophisticated and funny is theatre in times of war?
One year after 24 February 2022, the fifth edition of RADAR OST responds to this war in the middle of Europe, which is also a cultural one. How close the frontline is becomes tangible in six co-productions, world premieres and guest performances from Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and Slovenia. All the plays premiered immediately after the outbreak of the war at festivals, in shelters in Kyiv, in exile in London and Paris or are now being premiered in Berlin. Five intensive days of theatre, encounters, images, concerts, performances and table discussions by and with artists from Eastern Europe. As a special treat, we invite you to the long reading night [Alp]Traum Europa until sunrise.
Since 2018, the international festival RADAR OST has been a mirror of political and aesthetic movements in the neighbouring countries to the east. The starting point for the festival was - one generation after 1989 - the artistic reflection of the great social upheavals. Since then, working relationships with directors from Georgia, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Russia have developed and deepened beyond the festival. The cooperation has changed and widened our view of the lines of connection and rupture between East and West.
Immediately after Russia's attack on Ukraine, the DT showed solidarity with artists from Ukraine with the Stay United series, worked with them and has since given their voices a stage.
For this year's festival edition, the country focus on Ukraine was already decided before the war broke out. How the war will end is uncertain. What we never stop believing in and working on with RADAR OST is the certainty that theatre art can describe shades beyond black and white and that it teaches us to endure contradictions. Art does not judge, it creates both: closeness and distance. What we do know is that theatre can open up a utopian but experiential space in which the recognition of difference and empathy is the community-building of our time.
Join us in looking forward to theatrical border crossings from 8 to 12 March at the Deutsches Theater Berlin!
Birgit Lengers, Festival Curator
And we aren’t to blame, of course.
Do you know what I mean?"
From Iryna Tsylik’s Ich habe es satt mich schuldig zu fühlen (I’m tired of feeling guilty)
Can art tell of war? Politicians talk about "epochal change" and "turning times" and we are all aware that our security and values are also at stake. How prophetic, radical and entertaining, how apocalyptic, sophisticated and funny is theatre in times of war?
One year after 24 February 2022, the fifth edition of RADAR OST responds to this war in the middle of Europe, which is also a cultural one. How close the frontline is becomes tangible in six co-productions, world premieres and guest performances from Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and Slovenia. All the plays premiered immediately after the outbreak of the war at festivals, in shelters in Kyiv, in exile in London and Paris or are now being premiered in Berlin. Five intensive days of theatre, encounters, images, concerts, performances and table discussions by and with artists from Eastern Europe. As a special treat, we invite you to the long reading night [Alp]Traum Europa until sunrise.
Since 2018, the international festival RADAR OST has been a mirror of political and aesthetic movements in the neighbouring countries to the east. The starting point for the festival was - one generation after 1989 - the artistic reflection of the great social upheavals. Since then, working relationships with directors from Georgia, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Russia have developed and deepened beyond the festival. The cooperation has changed and widened our view of the lines of connection and rupture between East and West.
Immediately after Russia's attack on Ukraine, the DT showed solidarity with artists from Ukraine with the Stay United series, worked with them and has since given their voices a stage.
For this year's festival edition, the country focus on Ukraine was already decided before the war broke out. How the war will end is uncertain. What we never stop believing in and working on with RADAR OST is the certainty that theatre art can describe shades beyond black and white and that it teaches us to endure contradictions. Art does not judge, it creates both: closeness and distance. What we do know is that theatre can open up a utopian but experiential space in which the recognition of difference and empathy is the community-building of our time.
Join us in looking forward to theatrical border crossings from 8 to 12 March at the Deutsches Theater Berlin!
Birgit Lengers, Festival Curator
Festival program
Opening
Impulse, Concert & Meet the Artists
With: Irena Karpa, Svetlana Kundish, Andrii Palatnyi, Mariana Sadovska, Tamara Trunova
Wed., 8 March 2023, 18.00 – Saal
Impulse, Concert & Meet the Artists
With: Irena Karpa, Svetlana Kundish, Andrii Palatnyi, Mariana Sadovska, Tamara Trunova
Wed., 8 March 2023, 18.00 – Saal
World Premiere
Ha*l*t
Cooperation with the Left Bank Theatre, Kyiv/Ukraine for RADAR OST 2023
Director: Tamara Trunova
In Ukrainian with German and English surtitles
Premiere: Wed, 8 March 8 pm; Thu, 9 March 7 pm (followed by a post-show discussion, Saal) – Kammerspiele
Cooperation with the Left Bank Theatre, Kyiv/Ukraine for RADAR OST 2023
Director: Tamara Trunova
In Ukrainian with German and English surtitles
Premiere: Wed, 8 March 8 pm; Thu, 9 March 7 pm (followed by a post-show discussion, Saal) – Kammerspiele
Guest Performances
human?
A theatrical-musical mass by mariia&magdalyna and the musician Khrystyna Kirik.
Guest performance mariia&magdalyna + krkrk, Kyiv/Ukraine
In English and Ukrainian with German surtitles
Berlin premiere: Wed, 8 March 8.30 pm; Thu, 9 March 9 pm – Box
Dogs of Europe
based on the novel by Alhierd Bacharevič
A production of the Belarus Free Theatre, Belarus/United Kingdom
Director: Nicolai Khalezin
In Belarusian with German and English subtitles
With English subtitles
German premiere: Fri, 10 March 7.30 pm, Sat, 11 March 5 pm (followed by a post-show discussion, Saal) – Deutsches Theater
Medea s01e06
by Paata Tsikolia
Guest performance of the Royal District Theatre, Tbilisi/Georgia
Co-production with GRTN - Georgian Regional Theatre Network
In Georgian with German and English surtitles
Director: Paata Tsikolia
German premiere: Sat., 11 March 8.30 pm; Sun., 12 March 8 pm (7.30 pm introduction, Saal) – Kammerspiele
Crises
based on Less is More by Jason Hickel and The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Guest performance The New Post Office, Ljubljana/Slovenia
Directed by Žiga Divjak
In English with Slovenian surtitles
German premiere: Sat. 11 March 7 pm; Sun. 12 March 6 pm (followed by a post-show discussion with the "Last Generation") – Box
Danse Macabre
A project by Vlad Troitskyi with the Dakh Daughters and Tetiana Troitska (Dakh Theatre, Kiev)
Guest performance Center of Contemporary Art DAKH, Ukraine | France
Director: Vlad Troitskyi
In Ukrainian with German and English surtitles
Berlin premiere: Sun., 12 March 7.30 pm – Deutsches Theater
A theatrical-musical mass by mariia&magdalyna and the musician Khrystyna Kirik.
Guest performance mariia&magdalyna + krkrk, Kyiv/Ukraine
In English and Ukrainian with German surtitles
Berlin premiere: Wed, 8 March 8.30 pm; Thu, 9 March 9 pm – Box
Dogs of Europe
based on the novel by Alhierd Bacharevič
A production of the Belarus Free Theatre, Belarus/United Kingdom
Director: Nicolai Khalezin
In Belarusian with German and English subtitles
With English subtitles
German premiere: Fri, 10 March 7.30 pm, Sat, 11 March 5 pm (followed by a post-show discussion, Saal) – Deutsches Theater
Medea s01e06
by Paata Tsikolia
Guest performance of the Royal District Theatre, Tbilisi/Georgia
Co-production with GRTN - Georgian Regional Theatre Network
In Georgian with German and English surtitles
Director: Paata Tsikolia
German premiere: Sat., 11 March 8.30 pm; Sun., 12 March 8 pm (7.30 pm introduction, Saal) – Kammerspiele
Crises
based on Less is More by Jason Hickel and The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Guest performance The New Post Office, Ljubljana/Slovenia
Directed by Žiga Divjak
In English with Slovenian surtitles
German premiere: Sat. 11 March 7 pm; Sun. 12 March 6 pm (followed by a post-show discussion with the "Last Generation") – Box
Danse Macabre
A project by Vlad Troitskyi with the Dakh Daughters and Tetiana Troitska (Dakh Theatre, Kiev)
Guest performance Center of Contemporary Art DAKH, Ukraine | France
Director: Vlad Troitskyi
In Ukrainian with German and English surtitles
Berlin premiere: Sun., 12 March 7.30 pm – Deutsches Theater
Supporting program
The Power of Memes (Die Macht der Memes)
Exhibition opening
In cooperation with the Berlin Story Bunker
Wed, 8 March, 7pm – Bar (free admission)
Nightmare Europe ([Alp]Traum Europa)
A journey through the night with stories, pictures + music
In collaboration with European Theatre Convention (ETC), CCA "DAKH", Volkstheater Wien, Hotel Continental - Artspace in Exile, dokumentartheater berlin, neue bühne Senftenberg and with Elias Arens, Manuel Harder, Bernd Moss, Linda Pöppel, Birgit Unterweger, Niklas Wetzel and Almut Zilcher from the DT
Fri, 10 March, 11 pm until sunrise – Box + Bar, Love Lounge + Terrace
Gypsy Techno
Festival Party with DJ Nikolay Karabinovych
Sat, 11 March, from 9 pm – Bar (free admission)
Linie 8 und Pudding für alle! / Лінія 8 і пудинг для кожного!
A bilingual theatre project by the Junges DT
Direction: Sofie Hüsler
Sun., 12 March, 11 am – Probebühne
Afterwards:
How do we continue (Wie machen wir weiter)?
Collegial brunch & exchange
Only with registration
In cooperation with the Goethe Institute in Exile, ETC, Deutscher Bühnenverein and ITI
Exhibition opening
In cooperation with the Berlin Story Bunker
Wed, 8 March, 7pm – Bar (free admission)
Nightmare Europe ([Alp]Traum Europa)
A journey through the night with stories, pictures + music
In collaboration with European Theatre Convention (ETC), CCA "DAKH", Volkstheater Wien, Hotel Continental - Artspace in Exile, dokumentartheater berlin, neue bühne Senftenberg and with Elias Arens, Manuel Harder, Bernd Moss, Linda Pöppel, Birgit Unterweger, Niklas Wetzel and Almut Zilcher from the DT
Fri, 10 March, 11 pm until sunrise – Box + Bar, Love Lounge + Terrace
Gypsy Techno
Festival Party with DJ Nikolay Karabinovych
Sat, 11 March, from 9 pm – Bar (free admission)
Linie 8 und Pudding für alle! / Лінія 8 і пудинг для кожного!
A bilingual theatre project by the Junges DT
Direction: Sofie Hüsler
Sun., 12 March, 11 am – Probebühne
Afterwards:
How do we continue (Wie machen wir weiter)?
Collegial brunch & exchange
Only with registration
In cooperation with the Goethe Institute in Exile, ETC, Deutscher Bühnenverein and ITI
Festival curator Birgit Lengers
Production Manager and Co-Curator Supporting Programme Alina Aleshchenko
Project management Christine Drawer
Technical direction Marco Fanke
Festival coordination Marie Speckmann
Assistant Director Ha*l*t Christina Eickhoff
Illustrations Anna Sarvira
Graphic Sabine Meyer
Radar Ost
8 – 12 March 2023
Deutsches Theater
8 – 12 March 2023
Deutsches Theater
Deutschlandfunk Kultur
An important look in a direction of Europe that we have paid too little attention to for too long.
Five days of war and solidarity with Ukraine. That was Radar Ost 2023, with actors who have a clear message, who want to and have to tell of their experiences. Sometimes a bit too loud, too pathetic, too demanding, but at the same time also forceful and touching. An important look in a direction of Europe that we have paid too little attention to for too long.
Listen to radio report
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Berliner Morgenpost
Burning topicality at its last edition.
Burning topicality at its last edition. [...] The Radar Ost festival at the Deutsches Theater once again made it possible to experience very directly what war means. In five festival days, six guest performances were shown, three from Ukraine, one each from Belarus, Georgia and Slovenia. Highly topical and political. [...] raw and bare [...] strong and touching [...] Tears flow on stage and in the auditorium.
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taz
The DT Festival, which has been exploring the theatre landscape in East-Central and Eastern Europe since 2018, once again proves its power in crises and catastrophes.
It's time again for Radar Ost. The DT Festival, which has been exploring the theatre landscape in East-Central and Eastern Europe since 2018, once again proves its power in crises and catastrophes.
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Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
One must hope that this festival in Berlin, which has become the capital of exile for Eastern Europe, will continue under a new artistic director.
One must hope that this festival in Berlin, which has become the capital of exile for Eastern Europe, will continue under a new artistic director.
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Die Deutsche Bühne
"Art can heal" said Irena Karpa in the short panel discussion; the director Andrii Palatnyi thanked for the support in Germany and emphasised that theatre work in times of war is particularly important not only for the theatre people but also for the audience in Ukraine.
The underlying question of the festival this year is how art, theatre can respond to war. "Art can heal" said Irena Karpa in the short panel discussion; the director Andrii Palatnyi thanked for the support in Germany and emphasised that theatre work in times of war is particularly important not only for the theatre people but also for the audience in Ukraine. It is important to the festival organisers, Birgit Lengers and DT director Ulrich Khuon, to develop a continuous cooperation and not only to show "titbits" in the form of guest performances.
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nachtkritik.de
Artists defy the political (war) reality with strong positions
Artists defy the political (war) reality with strong positions. [...] Some of the invited artists were not guests for the first time: it is a merit of the festival founded in 2018 by Birgit Lengers that it has deepened working relationships and created new ones, also beyond the festival.
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Süddeutsche Zeitung
a bitter, angry manifesto
The "Radar Ost" festival with guest performances and co-productions from Ukraine, Belarus, Slovenia and Georgia is a bitter, angry manifesto this year. [...] Postmodern value relativism, constructivist theatre fads suddenly seem very out of place and unworldly here.
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