Theater: The whale drama as a passion play

A new theater production, 'Timmy - Die Hope stirbt zuletzt,' delves into the intense public fascination and emotional outpouring surrounding a humpback whale that repeatedly stranded in the Baltic Sea earlier this year. The whale, affectionately nicknamed Timmy, captured widespread attention, with many people following its fate daily via livestreams and expressing deep empathy.

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When a person cries into the camera and says, come, let's stand together and save this animal, is that something I take seriously?

Actor Enrique Fiß, collaborating with director Alexander Klessinger, aims to explore the nature of this empathy. "When a person cries into the camera and says, come, let's stand together and save this animal, is that something I take seriously?" Fiß questioned, referencing the feeling of self-efficacy that comes with activism. However, the production also critically examines how the narrative around Timmy was instrumentalized and co-opted by various groups, including those with nationalistic or esoteric viewpoints, who sought to profit from the spectacle.

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How this whole thing was instrumentalized, that is something we clearly want to see critically and address.

The evening is structured in three parts. The theatrical piece 'Passion Timmy' uses performative methods to process the events, framing the whale's drama as an exaggerated passion story. This is followed by a discussion featuring veterinarian Kirsten Tönnies, who was involved in the rescue attempt, and animal rights activists Anna Schubert and Hendrik Haßel. The performance concludes with a concert by the Berlin band Tulpe, whose song 'Sprengt den Wal' (Blow up the whale) became a streaming hit.

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Passion Timmy wants to take up the drama as an exaggerated passion story.

Fiß expressed concern over the anger that erupted on social media between those who wanted the whale saved at all costs and those who accepted its death. "In the end, everyone hates each other, even though the goal was to achieve something positive." The production seeks to provide a space for these diverse and often conflicting perspectives, questioning the religious-like fervor and projection of societal meaning onto the animal, while also critiquing the exploitation of the whale's fate.

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In the end, everyone hates each other, even though the goal was to achieve something positive.