WE STAY UNITED
Solidarity of Deutsches Theaters Berlin with the people of Ukraine
We condemn Russia's bellicose attack on Ukraine. The Deutsches Theater Berlin shows solidarity with the people of Ukraine and is in thoughts with artist friends and colleagues.
For several years now, the DT has been working closely with artists from Eastern Europe. This cultural exchange and artistic dialogue have had a great influence on the work at the Deutsches Theater.
The Deutsches Theater wants to maintain and strengthen the bond in art with the people of Ukraine but also other parts of Eastern Europe. The first solidarity actions have been implemented, others are planned. Here you will find all the information.
For several years now, the DT has been working closely with artists from Eastern Europe. This cultural exchange and artistic dialogue have had a great influence on the work at the Deutsches Theater.
The Deutsches Theater wants to maintain and strengthen the bond in art with the people of Ukraine but also other parts of Eastern Europe. The first solidarity actions have been implemented, others are planned. Here you will find all the information.
One Year of War on Ukraine – Reading and Music Cooperation with Hotel Continental – Art Space in Exile
On the night of February 24, 2022, Russia began its war of aggression against Ukraine. Now, one year after the beginning of the war, we invite you to a six-part event series as part of our STAY UNITED series together with the Hotel Continental - Art Space in Exile, a temporary cultural center in Treptow. Together with DT ensemble members, Ukrainian artists will present three evenings at both the Hotel Continental and the Deutsches Theater. And, after a year of war in Europe, they will venture a cautious stocktaking. Has the catastrophic state of emergency long since become normality? How does one cope with everyday life in war - in exile, but also in Ukraine itself? What forces has the war unleashed, what visions has it fueled? And what significance does art have in all of this?
STAY UNITED 2023 #1: Thursday 23 February 2023, Saal & Thursday 2 March 2023, Hotel Continental
STAY UNITED 2023 #2: Thursday 23 March 2023, Saal & Thursday 30 March 2023, Hotel Continental
STAY UNITED 2023 #3: Thursday 27 April2023, Saal & Thursday 4 May 2023, Hotel Continental
Hotel Continental – Art Space in Exile, Elsenstraße 87, 12435 Berlin, artspaceinexile.org
In the bilingual theatre project of the Junge DT, Berliners and Ukrainians between the ages of 14 and 18 discover the city. In the blog they take us along to rehearsals and excursions, write down memories, invent stories and then present a theatre performance on the rehearsal stage at the DT on 28 November 2022 in Ukrainian, German and English.
Direction: Sofie Hüsler / Video: Katya Hanochkina
Direction: Sofie Hüsler / Video: Katya Hanochkina
Concept and reading: Kathleen Morgeneyer and Valery Cheplanova
Guests: Jean Michel Scherbak and Andrej Mucha
Moderation: Sonja Zekri, author and cultural correspondent, Süddeutsche Zeitung.
On Mon., June 20, 2022 in the hall, admission 5 Euro
Guests: Jean Michel Scherbak and Andrej Mucha
Moderation: Sonja Zekri, author and cultural correspondent, Süddeutsche Zeitung.
On Mon., June 20, 2022 in the hall, admission 5 Euro
Sasha, Take out the Rubbish / Саша, винеси сміття
STAY UNITED Тримаємось разом #4
On Friday, May 13, as part of our event series Stay United римаємось разом, we presented for the first time a bilingual (German / Ukrainian) scenic arrangement of a Ukrainian theater text in the Kammerspiele, performed by a German-Ukrainian ensemble. The text is by the Damatician Natalya Vorozhbyt, the scenic arrangement by Tamara Trunova.
Video recording
of the scenic reading (DE/UKR) from Friday, May 13, 2022
Video recording of the special event
from Saturday, April 16 - STAY UNITED #3
from Saturday, April 16 - STAY UNITED #3
Writing about the unspeakable
What can culture do in the face of barbarism?
Other events in the STAY UNITED series: On Sunday, April 24, Ulrich Matthes will read from She came from Mariupol by Natascha Wodin at the Deutsches Theater. Admission is 5 euros. Stay United #4 is in planning and will take place on May 13 at the Kammerspiele.
On March 16, 2022, the Drama Theater in Mariupol, Ukraine, was destroyed in a Russian air strike. At that time, about 1000 people were taking refuge in the theater building, including many children.
To draw attention to the fact that there were civilians in the building, дети (children) was written in large letters on the square in front of and behind the theater. Although the lettering was also visible at a great height, it did not stop the Russian army from bombing and destroying the theater building.
As a sign against the war of aggression against Ukraine and its civilians, this lettering can also be read in front of the German Theater since World Theater Day (March 27).
To draw attention to the fact that there were civilians in the building, дети (children) was written in large letters on the square in front of and behind the theater. Although the lettering was also visible at a great height, it did not stop the Russian army from bombing and destroying the theater building.
As a sign against the war of aggression against Ukraine and its civilians, this lettering can also be read in front of the German Theater since World Theater Day (March 27).
Sunday, March 27, 2022, World Theatre Day special event
Ukrainian voices for Mariupol
STAY UNITED Тримаємось разом #2
On Sunday, March 27, on the occasion of the World Theater Day, the German Theater Berlin organized a special event, the artistic program of which was carried mainly by Ukrainians. Under the motto STAY UNITED Тримаємось разом #2, the German Theater continued its efforts to strengthen ties in art with the people of Ukraine after the outbreak of war. Under the title Ukrainian Voices for Mariupol, the evening was dedicated to the port city where a theater serving as a shelter was destroyed by bombs on March 16.
Video recording of STAY UNITED #2
"Messages from Mariupol" & "War Diaries"
Messages from Mariupol
in English, German, Ukrainian
in English, German, Ukrainian
War diaries Reading of new texts from Ukraine
in German and Ukrainian
Sunday, March 27, 2022
World Theatre Day 2022 Message
by Natalia Vorozhbyt
Every year, the German Stage Association (Deutsche Bühnenverein) initiates a message for World Theater Day. World Theater Day, dated March 27, aims to raise awareness of the power of art and play in society. This year, in cooperation with the International Theatre Institute (Internationalen Theaterinstitut), it was important for the German Stage Association to make Ukrainian voices audible. The Ukrainian playwright Natalia Vorozhbyt could be won for the message. "We will not celebrate festivals", says Natalia Vorozhbyt. This year, World Theater Day is not a celebration, but a reminder of what theater can do and an occasion for solidarity and helpfulness.
DT Director Ulrich Khuon on Solidarity
A stage for Ukrainian culture
Contribution from the DLF broadcast Studio 9 – Der Tag mit ...
The Deutsches Theater Berlin dedicates World Theater Day on Sun., March 27 to Ukraine and on Tue., March 29 and Wed., March 30 we will show two performances of Decamerone directed by Kirill Serebrennikov. We understand theater as a place that creates connection and we find it extremely important, especially now, to show the productions as planned, which were created in cooperation with Russian artists. We will not be divided, said Ulrich Khuon in an interview on Deutschlandfunk Kultur.
Monday, March 14, 2022
Deutsches Theater signs Letter of intent
to support the voices of Ukrainian artists in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and all over Europe
On the initiative of Stas Zhyrkov, artistic director Left Bank Theatre (Kyiv/Ukraine) and Birgit Lengers, curator of the Radar Ost festival at the Deutsches Theater, more than 70 cultural institutions, including the Deutsches Theater Berlin, have so far signed a declaration of intent, which was submitted to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine on March 14. It states, among other things:
"With this letter of intent, we, the undersigned cultural organizations, express our intention to receive, host and perform Ukrainian theater artists:in our houses in order to make Ukrainian theater work visible to the European community. We therefore call on Ukraine to allow artists of all genders to undertake the necessary cross-border travel to continue their work outside of Ukraine, work which we emphasize can be an important component of cultural diplomacy for peace and dialogue in Europe."
"With this letter of intent, we, the undersigned cultural organizations, express our intention to receive, host and perform Ukrainian theater artists:in our houses in order to make Ukrainian theater work visible to the European community. We therefore call on Ukraine to allow artists of all genders to undertake the necessary cross-border travel to continue their work outside of Ukraine, work which we emphasize can be an important component of cultural diplomacy for peace and dialogue in Europe."
Tuesday, March 1, 2022 in the hall and on the forecourt of the DT
Solidarity event for the people of Ukraine
with artists from Ukraine, DT ensemble members and guests
The Deutsches Theater Berlin, ogalala kreuzberg and das dokumentartheater berlin have been working closely with Ukrainian artists for many years. On Tuesday, March 1, we jointly invited to a solidarity event with reading and concert, which we dedicated to Ukrainian artists and colleagues. DT ensemble members and guests read texts by Ukrainian artists. Afterwards, musicians from Ukraine, Belarus and Berlin gave a concert on the forecourt of the Deutsches Theater. Both the reading and the concert were broadcast live and are still available online.
Reading
- Ulrich Matthes reads Juri Andruchowitsch "Treffpunkt Germachka" (from: The Last Territory, 2003) und "Chor" (My Europe, 2004)
- Kathleen Morgeneyer und Almut Zilcher read from the play Bad Roads by Nataliia Vorozhbyt
- Roxolana Vikaluk, Jürgen Kuttner and Regine Zimmermann read Er sagt, alles wird gut (He Says Everything Will Be All Right) by Lyuba Yakimchuk
- Marion Brasch reads Katja Petrowskaja (Süddeutsche Zeiting, 26.2.2022)
- Barbara Schnitzler reads Yvgenia Belorusets: Ruhm der Ukraine (Glory to Ukraine) and Tod den Feinden (Death to the Enemies)
- Linda Pöppel und Elias Arens read Gedichte poems by Lyuba Yakimchuk: Wolkenkratzer und Aschenbecher (Skyscrapers and Ashtrays)
Concert
Songs were played that were created in Ukraine or for joint projects with Ukrainian artists. Participants were theater musicians from ogalala kreuzberg (ZOOK and Cherimoya Quartet) and the Ukrainian artists Oleg Yanushkevych, Diana Yanushkevych, Roxolana Vikaluk together with Katharina Goebel and Veranika Kruhlova (Belarus) from dokumentartheater berlin.
Videobotschaften
In the foyer of the Kammerspiele we showed two video contributions, which were created in cooperation with Ukrainian artists. We also publish them here.
"A Stage for Ukrainian Artists" from Kyiv
The neuekünstlertheater (Berlin), an independent theater group including DT ensemble members Marcel Kohler and Linn Reusse, asked its friends from Ukraine two questions. Nadiia Holubtsova, Marusia Ionova, Katrusia Petrashova and Marichka Shtyrbulova answer.
"A Stage for Ukrainian Artists" from Kyiv
The neuekünstlertheater (Berlin), an independent theater group including DT ensemble members Marcel Kohler and Linn Reusse, asked its friends from Ukraine two questions. Nadiia Holubtsova, Marusia Ionova, Katrusia Petrashova and Marichka Shtyrbulova answer.
"The Art of Sniper"
In 2017, in the sunny heart of Kyiv, this filmic work was created, which in small portraits goes in search of the voice of young Ukrainian artists. Already at that time it was noticeable how much the war is already shaping the young generation. Developed on the initiative of the ETC, With: Mirra Zuchkova, Volodymyr Rudenko; By: Yannik Böhmer, Emanuel Hohl; text: Mirra Zuchkova; Thanks to Peter Cant
In 2017, in the sunny heart of Kyiv, this filmic work was created, which in small portraits goes in search of the voice of young Ukrainian artists. Already at that time it was noticeable how much the war is already shaping the young generation. Developed on the initiative of the ETC, With: Mirra Zuchkova, Volodymyr Rudenko; By: Yannik Böhmer, Emanuel Hohl; text: Mirra Zuchkova; Thanks to Peter Cant
Thursday, February 24, 2022
Statements
Immediately after Russia's attack on Ukraine on February 23, we received many very emotional messages from Ukrainian friends and colleagues, but also from artists from Russia with whom we have been working for years. We have published some of them on our website: