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Gorki Theater Berlin: Where World Theater Finds Its Place

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified New plan
  • The Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin has opened its first season under new director Çağla İlk with an exhibition rather than a conventional theater production.
  • The transformed auditorium features Sarkis’ installation “Fuge,” including 24 old floorboards, 31 crosses, feather-covered lights and a rotating structure of mirrors.
  • John Cage’s “Litany for the Whale” sounds from a 43-bell glockenspiel above the stage.

The Maxim Gorki Theater begins its new season without actors, spoken dialogue or dramaturgy. Instead, the first production under director Çağla İlk turns the building itself into an exhibition.

The auditorium has been thoroughly transformed. Its familiar rows of red seats have disappeared, leaving a wooden platform where the audience would normally sit. On it lie 24 old floorboards carrying 31 crosses. Above them, huge light fixtures covered in bird feathers slowly rise and fall.

The stage has changed as well. A structure made of seven mirrored surfaces rotates while rainbow colors move across it. From high above, John Cage’s “Litany for the Whale” plays on a glockenspiel with 43 bells.

The result is a beginning shaped as a transition. The theater opens its season as a parcours of art, sound and a painting workshop, signaling that the house intends to do things differently under its new leadership.

About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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