A brief and incomplete visual overview of Berlin 2018.

IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA (THE BARBER OF SEVILLE) at Komische Oper.

  Museum Island (The Altes Museum, the Neues Museum, Pergamon . . .)

REMOTE MITTE by Rimini Protokoll presented by Gorki Theater.

Clärchen Ballhaus.

BERLIN ON BIKE.

SHAKESPEARE'S LAST PLAY at Schaubühne.

The Bode Museum on Museum Island.

ALLEE DER KOSMONAUTEN by Sasha Waltz at RadialSystem V.

Charlottenburg Palace.

Berggruen Museum in Charlottenburg.

FOREIGN BODY by Clébio Oliveira at Uferstudios.

ENDSTATION SEHNSUCHT (A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE) directed by Michael Thalheimer at the Berliner Ensemble.

DER DIE MANN based on the writings of Konrad Bayer, directed by Herbert Fritsch at Schaubühne.

Sean Patton speaks to us about the work of GOB SQUAD.

Oliver Reese's stage adaptation of Günter Grass' DIE BLECHTROMMEL (THE TIN DRUM) at the Berliner Ensemble.

Dancing beside the Spree.

The Markisch Museum and the Deutsches Historisches Museum.

DO'S AND DON'TS by Rimini Protokoll presented by HAU.

Wanderlust at the Altes Nationalgalerie.

Heinrich von Kleist's PENTHESILEA directed by Michael Thalheimer at the Berliner Ensemble.

Susanne Kennedy's WOMEN IN TROUBLE at Volksbühne.

HAUPTSACHE SIE SCHIESSEN NICHT directed by Moritz Sauer at Gorki.

Clemens Sienknecht and Barbara Bürk's BALLROOM SCHMITZ at the Berliner Ensemble.

The Hamburger Bahnhof.

Constanza Macras and Dorky Park's HILLBROWFICATION at Gorki.

Heinrich von Kleist's PENTHESILEA performed by the students of Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Albert Serra's LIBERTÉ at Volksbühne.

At the Deutsches Theater.

Royal District Theatre of Tiblisi's production of WOMEN OF TROY directed by Data Tavadze at Deutsches Theater.

Our tour of Schaubühne.

 

Our tour of the Berliner Ensemble.

IM HERZEN DER GEWALT directed by Thomas Ostermeier at Schaubühne.

The Jewish Museum.

FRAULEIN JULIE (MISS JULIE) directed by Katie Mitchell at Schaubühne.

Topography of Terror.

Our ZEPPELIN workshop with Philipp Rost at Schaubühne's Rehearsal Studios.

YA KEBIR created by Rafat Alzakout and Collective Ma'louba at TAK (Theater im Aufbau).

The Palaces of Potsdam (Sans Souci Palace).

WELT AUSSEN OHNE (IMMERSION) presented by Berliner Festspiele at Martin Gropius Bau.

ZEPPELIN (based on the works of Ödön von Horwáth) directed by Herbert Fritsch at Schaubühne. 

Dealing With Lack of Representation

All my life I have been blessed to live in communities that are pretty diverse. So coming here to Germany, knowing that there aren’t many black people here, made me anxious. I remember even harping over the nail color I chose when I got my nails done because I didn’t want yet another thing that could possibly single me out even more from the crowd since my skin already had that covered for me. I went as far as searching on Google “being black in Germany” to see other people’s experiences here to reassure myself that everything would be fine. Right before I parted from my family I told them how I was nervous and this was due to the fact that I wouldn’t know how it would be for me, being a black young woman in Germany and the possibilities of my experience.

The first couple days went very well. I initially felt comfortable until I started really analyzing this new world I was placed in. I noticed the stares and that caused my mind to go into overdrive on what these people were thinking from looking at me. Did they think I was ugly or beautiful because of my blackness, was there anything I was doing/did that may have further solidified any possible stereotypes they had on black people; good or bad? Did they believe I belonged or I shouldn’t be here. As I had these thoughts I felt as if I was absurd for thinking this way. After all, Germany had already seemed to be much more open-minded and liberal than America has been. Then again it was hard for me to push these thoughts away when there’s a larger lack of representation of black people here.

As the days continued on, I would feel sad and hurt that I barely saw anyone that looked like me. I would look at the posters, billboards, and pictures in window shops, but it was all white faces looking back. When I did see a rare black person on these advertisements it would be a black person of a mixed race with light skin and a grade of 3a type hair. It didn’t help that within the 2nd week of being in Berlin I was called the “N” word as well as racially profiled. In the most contradicting way, I knew I easily stood out for being black, which made me more “special”, but at the same time I felt so insignificant and small.

Whenever I did get the pleasure of seeing another black person on the street I had a moment of joy. All just by walking by them. You could imagine the overwhelming elation I experienced while and after watching Hillbrowfication. The (almost) all black cast was a much needed reminder of how beautiful it is for me to be who I am, to know where I come from and love my culture even more. I could not remember the last time I was that happy that it brought me to tears. I think even more so what caused me to fall in love with the performance was that so many of the performers were children. For them to exude pride in themselves in such a powerful, strong and fun way made me proud of them. 

Because of my experience as a black woman in Germany, my appreciation for myself and my race as a whole has increased to an even higher degree. I have more comprehension on why representation is key for the livelihood of everyone. It inspires, it builds confidence, it creates hope, and it provides purpose. The beauty of it is that the children in Hillbrowfication, black models in magazines and black actors in film may never know the people who they affect. Even if it’s one person, having someone representing them makes a world of a difference.

Connecting Engineering and Theater

At first, making a comparison between theater and engineering seemed ridiculous. After watching over 15 shows, I’ve started to make connections between some engineering concepts and producing a show. Directors must create an elaborate blueprint of the set and determine what dialogue they want to help drive the performance. All of these components add up into a purposeful final product.

The qualities of a fantastic show must start with an interesting set. It’s the first thing the audience sees, so it has to be eye-catching. I mostly liked the shows with abstract or moving sets. The turntable in “der die mann” made me want to go in the Schaubuhne basement to see how it was made (thank god we did because that was cool :)). The set of “Women in Trouble” had a similar turntable with multiple reoccurring rooms. But it took 10 minutes for one revolution which made it stressful for the audience to stay focused…or sane for that matter. We also saw the slanted set of “Streetcar”. Between the aggravated dialogue of the actors, they seemed to use the space very effectively. The inclined set where the actors entered from the top was very foreign to me, but I learned to love the alternative approach to the structure of the show. I loved the extravagant, but also minimalist sets we’ve seen so far.

Although most of our shows were completely in German, the dialogue can really capture the emotions of the character. The distressed yelling in “Streetcar” created a troubled vibe from all of the actors. It really described the limits that the actors can reach while performing. In engineering, we often have to ask “how is it made”. Dialogue tells a story which has built the character over time. We could see that every actress in “Women of Troy” told their own personal story. These stories, when put together, built a prominent, captivating atmosphere. This allowed the audience to stay naturally focused. When the played the “game” of finding colors, I loved how they interacted with the audience. I fell as though that is a strong tool in keeping everyone focused and interested.

The most common connection I can find between engineering and theater is having a new idea and showcasing it to serve its intended purpose. For engineers, our ideas help solve problems or improve old ways of technology. Theater can release so many emotions. You could think of them as theater’s “power source”. Theater intends to “touch” the audience. I believe directors will always ask the question “will people want to see it?”. Engineers ask a similar question of “will people want to use it?”. In our college careers, we’re all trying to find ourselves and create beautiful, powerful things with our ideas. I’m glad I found my place in Berlin and specifically in the theatres. All of you have so much talent, so keep on creating.

Shows/Workshop

We have seen many shows while here in Berlin. Even though I did not walk out of every show thinking "wow that was incredible," every show did make me feel something. The three shows I will undoubtedly never forget are: Remote Mitte, Hillbrowfication, and Women in  Trouble! (in that order) Remote Mitte stood out to me because it was unique, creative, interactive and thought provoking. The people who came up with it are creative geniuses! The entire time I was having fun while at the same time thinking about the meaning of life. This piece made me think a lot and was the most fun. Hillbrowfication was unforgettable to me because it embodied some of the main reasons I want to be an actor. They had a strong sense of togetherness as an ensemble, and they made me feel hope, fear, struggle, pain, joy, love, anger etc in 120 minutes. I think that is the beauty of being an actor - we make people feel something. Women in Trouble will always be remembered by me, because I hated it so much. I remember watching it thinking: "is this some kind of a joke?" "when is it going to be over?" "wow the acting is so bad." But now looking back on it I don't know if I actually hated it, or if my inability to understand the point the director and the actors were trying to make with the story simply translated to hate. In other words, I was so frustrated with the fact that what I consider to be a good story and good acting was not coming through, that I didn't take the time to consider a different point of view. I automatically deemed it as "bad" without really considering all the possibilities.


The workshop we did today was the most fun I had while in Berlin. It really forced me to be open, to truth my instincts, trust the ensemble and it sparked some creativity. I love how we got to use all the exercises we did into creating our own scenes. It was really fun and I really wish we were able to do more stuff like that throughout the trip!

Cripes!!!!

I watched someone try to scale the walls of the Holocaust Tower today. Yup. You read that correctly. I was sitting in the Tower, miraculously by myself, for maybe 3 minutes when in walks the worst of humanity. First off, before the 3 want-to-be rock climbers entered the space, every next visitor I encountered had one of two reactions: they either walked into the room made of concrete, saw it only as that, sighed disappointedly and left OR they spoke full voice asking the purpose of why the room was so dark or what it meant. Before I even had time to process the roughness of just those two things, the three adult women (if I can even say that) walked in and proceeded to try and scale the corner where the two diagonal walls met. The corner letting in the only source of light. Now I was sitting in the opposite corner, observing all that was happening before me and while some people previously thought I was a part of the room, perhaps as a statue or a paid actor, I stayed seated but when I saw this happen, especially while the three girls were laughing on the top of their lungs, I shot up and maybe because they thought I was not an actual human or just going to question/confront them (which I was) they ran out of the room leaving me standing amongst another sea of more clueless humans. 

People perplex me. No. Most people suck and it saddens me.

I had a similar experience at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews. After 20+ minutes of getting lost in the maze of the installation, I sat down on the floor and took in the magnitude of the columns around me and what they represented. I was alone for a bit but then I started to become keenly aware of all the ridiculousness around me. This teenage girl was shooting what I assume was some kind of music video with a ton of balloons, many games of tag and hide and seek were being played, a couple asked me to take their photo to which they both then struck a pose with their arms stretched out to their sides as if they were bragging about their creation BUT the man who took the cake was the one who, before I even saw his face, I overheard say to whoever he was with: “I thought there would at least be names on the concrete.” Now if this wasn’t bad enough his little comrade began to laugh and replied with a: “Yeah dude. Lets get out of here.” I guess their exit route included my little passage way because when the first man passed, he looks down at me and asked: “What are you doing on the floor? You good?” To which I just nodded— not that he saw it anyway because both of the middle-aged men were laughing and had already walked away. 

You can't make this stuff up and even if I could why would I? 

You know, it’s so easy to ask: “How could atrocities like the Holocaust even happen?” or state that “That would never happen again!” Hell, I have even said those things myself but then I am met and reminded of people like this and I quite literally think: “That is exactly how/why it could happen.” 

Maybe you think that's negative or pessimistic but honestly it’s the truth or at least my truth in this moment. It must also be said (as was pointed out to me) that this understanding may also be the reason for these memorials and museums. Beyond staying educated and remembering those who were lost, perhaps they were created to help you realize and remember that it could happen all over again in the blink of an eye. And that may be thanks to the people who roam and visit those very places beside you.  

Found in the Details

With a mother who, for most of her life, had a place in the art world, most of my early life was spent, if not in her gallery, among art in general. I was fully immersed in this world that not many get to be a part of so it's really no surprise that I feel most at home when roaming the halls of a museum and/or gallery. 

The first few museums we visited here in Berlin contained mostly artifactual art— things built and used hundreds of years ago. I was tragically craving some sculptures you could sit in front of for hours or honestly I would be so content with just some simple paintings. Putting this craving of mine aside, I must admit that I am grateful for this strict exposure to only these kind of exhibits because it made me question a lot about why we have museums in the first place. What items are delineated as worthy enough for a glass box? The contents of museums, like these, seemed constructed and as I took more of it in, the more false it seemed to me. Almost made up entirely. Even just remembering that so many of these pieces were stolen from their original creators or owners left me mainly questioning two things: Who said it should be on display in the first place? Why in that capacity? And finally, what should/do the curators of these exhibits want us to get from seeing items behind glass panes? Of course you can appreciate the age and detail of a vase, for example, but beyond that I couldn't really think of an answer when I asked myself: what I am I getting out of this? 

Now this is me setting up a scenario in an alternative universe but… couldn't we get so much more out of going to these artifactual museums by getting to interact with the materials it holds directly or at least not be separated by four walls of glass? How amazing would it be to get to try on some of the jewelry royalty used thousands of years ago — yes I know most pieces are too fragile for this — but create replicas or accept that not everyone can and will get the same experience anyway so if it breaks it breaks. Don't get me wrong, I know there are MANY flaws to the practical and logistical side of my proposal (because we as humans would, first, have to function very differently in order for this to be sustainable) but the point is... because I was getting nothing or rather just questioning why I was looking at mere items in glass, I started brainstorming how I could get something out of it and that in itself was exciting. 

I have spoken of this "questioning" with a few of my fellow Berliners and it has seriously changed my capacity the way I take in those kinds of displays and museums. With all this said, you can only imagine my happiness when I finally got to go to the Altes National or go gallery hopping with Nick, or the Kulturforum (the list goes on.) My soul was getting re-filled as I got deeper and deeper into these rooms that had more art than space. I captured the paintings and sculptures that stole my heart and bought a few postcards for my collection but it was my second series of pictures that I am now sharing in this post. 

Maybe the inspiration for them was inspired by my previously mentioned "questioning," but I found myself so captivated by the detail of many of the pieces I saw. This is not to say I hadn't paid attention to detail in the past but I found myself snapping pictures of only parts of certain paintings and it was extremely captivating. The secrets lie in the detail. They have so much to say and I love how they also don't let you guess dimension. Some of these pictures were from paintings the size of my hand and others that covered full walls but I love that you will never know unless you know the original piece. I also purposely left out the faces or at least the eyes of these people because I think the detail of their clothing says more about them. Without their full face you get to decide who they are. 

Maybe those who read this will recognize where I stole my close ups from but that makes it all the more exciting. As I look back at my small collection its like I have created an exhibit of my own. So on that note, I hope you like what I have curated.