Artistic spirit of Berlin comes to Manchester
A six-day festival featuring the best and quirkiest in art, theatre, film and music from one of Europe’s hottest creative scenes, Berlin, comes to Manchester next week.
The Berlin Now Festival takes place in Home’s Theatre 2 space, which will be transformed to create an intimate cabaret atmosphere from Wednesday 2 to Monday 7 November 2016.
Artists, filmmakers and creatives have for generations descended on Berlin to find a welcoming environment to live and work. Berlin continues to attract the avant-garde and artistic experimentalists, who take advantage of the opportunities offered by one of the most culturally diverse cities in Europe, not to mention the plentiful availability of cheap rent.
Here’s the run down of what’s on …
THEATRE, MUSIC
Portraits in Motion
Thursday 3 – Saturday 5 November 19:00, £12 (£10 with multi-ticket deal)
Master of flipbooks Volker Gerling has spent more than 10 years travelling throughout Germany creating flipbooks. Portraits in Motion, a charming and heart-warming account of the people he’s met at the places he’s been to, won a Total Theatre award for innovation at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival.
Alexander Geist: Swansong
Thursday 3 November 21:00, £6 (£4 with multi-ticket deal)
Combining the mordant wit of Morrissey with the soundscape of Giorgio Moroder and the sensibilities of Manet, Alexander Geist’s describes his musical style as ‘morose disco-soul.’ This exclusive performance will be a true one-off from one of the most captivating performers currently working in Berlin.
Muttis Kinder
Friday 4/Saturday 5 November 21:00, £12 (£10 with multi-ticket deal)
Award-winning a-cappella wunderkinds Claudia Gray, Marcus Melzwig and Christopher Nell hit all the right musical and theatrical spots. The darlings of the Berlin cabaret scene – Alanis Morrissette and Leonard Cohen meet Rihanna, Metallica and more – expect a perfect vocal blend of sexy acoustic surprises and a large dose of humour.
STAGED READING
The Blue Blue Sea
Saturday 5 November 14:00, £3
Nis-Momme Stockmann’s play, about two people who strike up an unlikely friendship, will be directed by Walter Meierjohann, HOME’s Artistic Director: Theatre. The cast comprises HOME’s Associate Artist Katie West, David Judge, who appeared in Chamaco in HOME’s Cuba Now festival, and Reuben Johnson, who was in On Corporation Street, both earlier this year.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Wings of Desire: Where is the Berlin Arts Scene Now?
Saturday 5 November 15:30, £3
The reading will be followed by a discussion examining the role of Berlin in Europe’s art ecology. Amongst the panellists will be Berlin-based Turner Prize nominee Phil Collins, James King of leading film distributors and exhibitors Curzon Artificial Eye, and theatre critic Andrew Haydon (Postcards From the Gods). The panel will be chaired by lecturer and filmmaker Christiane Hitzemann.
FILM PROGRAMME
Victoria (15, 2015)
Wednesday 2 November, 20:05
Actor/director Sebastian Schipper tells the story of a Spanish woman and her new-found friends over the course of one breathless night on the streets of Berlin.
A Coffee in Berlin (CTBA, 2012)
Friday 4 November 18:20
This love-letter to Berlin and Generation Y depicts a day in the life of twentysomething law school dropout Niko.
Christiane F (18, 1981)
Sunday 6 November 17:30
A gritty drama based on the true confessions of 13-year-old Christiane who becomes embroiled in the 1970s West Berlin drug scene.
Yella (12A, 2007)
Monday 7 November 18:20
Nina Hoss plays a young woman estranged from her possessive, violent ex in Christian Petzold’s ice-cool, witty and mysterious drama.
THEATRE WORKSHOP
Prior to the festival, from Friday 28 – Sunday 30 October, Berlin-based director Lily Sykes leads a three-day workshop based on award-winning playwright Ronald Schimmelpfennig’s play The Woman Before, aimed at emerging and established theatre-makers.
Further details and tickets for Berlin Now are available via homemcr.org/event/berlin-now
