Picture: Łukasz Karolewski
The immersive performance explores individual and collective biographies from the past and present that have been shaped by turning points in history, and it addresses issues of how history repeats itself.
The piece explores the phenomenon of memory as an instrument of trauma within the violence of a regime. Through looking at the value in everyday moments that do not fit into a heroic historical narrative, we bear witness to great yet unacknowledged resistance.
The audience wanders through a labyrinth of reminiscences, times and places, weaving their way through key historical moments. What can we relearn from the past from these stories and how can we create a solidary plea for resistance?
As the future ripens in the past,
So the past rots in the future –
A terrible festival of dead leaves.
Anna Akhmatova, Poem Without a Hero, 1963
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Ksenia Ravvina (she/her) director, author
Versatile artist with a background in history, directing and applied theater studies. She has been involved in a wide range of projects in Germany, Bulgaria, Latvia and the USA, collaborating with renowned institutions and gaining international recognition. In 2019, she co-created the globally acclaimed opera DENIS & KATYA at Opera Philadelphia (FEDORA – GENERALI Prize for Opera 2019, Finalist of the International Opera Awards 2020 a.o.). From 2024 to 2026, she will hold the position of Artistic Director for Hauptsache Frei Festival in Hamburg.
Alexandar Hadjiev (he/him), composer, musician
Studied bassoon in Sofia and at Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen with a 2011-2012 scholarship from IEMA. Member of the MAM. Manufaktur für aktuelle Musik and guest musician with the Ensemble Modern. Hadjiev actively works in the field of interdisciplinary performance at the Deutsches Theater Berlin, Theater Münster, Künstlerhaus Mousonturm and others. In 2014, he co-founded the "180° - Laboratory for Innovative Art" festival in Sofia. From 2024 to 2026, he will hold the position of Artistic Director for Hauptsache Frei Festival in Hamburg.
Mihaela Dobreva (she/her), scenography and costumes
Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, holds a BA and MA degree in Scenography from National Academy of Arts Sofia. A program manager of the “180 degrees - Laboratory for innovative art” Festival and director of the artistic collective SAPROMAT. The primary focus of their artistic work and research is situated in the fields of cite specific, interactive and immersive art, sculpture, installation and performance.
Daniel Hughes (he/his), video
Glasgow-based video designer working in theater video and captioning design; a live stream technician in theater and cabaret; a photographer, filmmaker and print/web designer working in marketing across the arts. Studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, works include Radar Ost Festival Deutsches Theater Berlin, Sophiensaele Berlin, Fringe Festival Edinburgh, Take Me Somewhere Festival Glasgow and Frascati Amsterdam.
Iana Boitcova, (No Pronoun//she/her), light
is a Berlin-based lighting designer working in theater, immersive theater, performance, puppet theater and live music. Worked for the Alexandrinsky Theater, the Great Puppet Theater (Russia), Samoloet (France) and Pori Opera (Finland), created more than 40 lighting concepts, participated in theater festivals internationally (Edinburgh FRINGE Festival 2017, Festival Mondial de et al, etc.)
Tina Ebert (she/her), Dramaturgy
studied theater and German studies at the Free University of Berlin, as well as dramaturgy at Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main and the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin. As a freelance production dramaturg, she has worked on numerous independent productions at various theaters, including Festival Radar Ost Deutsches Theater Berlin, Schaubude Berlin, Theater Vorpommern, National Theatre Taipei, Schauspiel Dortmund, UNAM Mexico D.F., Theaterdiscounter Berlin, Uferstudios Berlin, Ballhaus Ost Berlin etc.
Lisa Siomicheva (No Pronoun//she/her), Production manager
Artist, art mediator and curator based in Berlin, working at the intersection of art and social issues, collaborating with artists and cultural workers to create spaces for dialogue and discussion. The main focus of her work is documentary-based and community art, diversity and migration. In her practice Lisa uses such media as text, video, installation, theater and performance.