Kinder des Universums

In his play "Kinder der Sonne" ("Children of the Sun") from 1905, Maxim Gorki describes a group of Russian intellectuals who have become alienated from the people. While the working class wishes to topple the tsarist regime, they immerse themselves in books, art and love affairs. 120 years later, the situation seems different. Researchers working on the climate, migration and the economy fight to be listened to, while – from the top down – funding is being cut. Even those who belong to the educated classes can barely afford rent in the city centres anymore. So what is education worth now? And what significance does it have for political processes? Or has the academic world lost its place in the ivory tower for the sake of social participation? Jakob Nolte’s version renovates this classic from the ground up. Based on Gorki’s original, his characters struggle their way through a world that is threatened with disappearance. Armed with not much more than their vocabulary and a little dignity.

The last production directed by Laura Linnenbaum at the Berliner Ensemble was the world premiere of Tena Stivičić’s "Die Verstreuten". Her work is characterised by dense atmospheres and sociopolitical perspectives.