Justin F Kennedy: Apocalypso – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin
Program
Justin F Kennedy:
Apocalypso
Apocalypso
English
10€/15€/20€/25€
Premiere
Sat 25.10. Artist talk following the performance
When does the swarm become the horde? What do zombies teach us about organizing? And what can robots show us about care?
Apocalypso is choreography and speculative opera, exploring apocalypse through an Afro-pessimist lens. At its heart lies the ocean – as body, archive, and a space of both memory and becoming. Drawing from Tidalectics, a concept coined by Barbadian poet and historian Kamau Brathwaite, the performance weaves together contemporary Caribbean mythology with intersectional and ecocritical perspectives.
The title – a blend of “Apocalypse” (Greek: “to uncover hidden places”) and “Calypso” (an Afro-Caribbean musical tradition that addresses pressing political realities in a disarmingly casual tone) signals a work that reveals social grievances while at the same time seducing its audience. Set after the fictional Apocalypso of Internal Combustion, where hyper-individualist humans have collapsed in on themselves, and hybrid beings like mermaids, zombies, and animatrons rise to the surface.
These figures embody queer Black futures, Black femmedom, fluidity, and collective resistance. They raise questions of care, embodiment, labor, and survival beyond neoliberal notions of inclusion. Apocalypso critiques hollow ideals of togetherness, often staged in European performance spaces.
The information on accessibility is still in progress and will be updated as soon as possible. If any questions remain unanswered until then, please feel free to contact the communication department at barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com or 030 27 89 00 35. Please note that details may change by the day of the event. Therefore, if you find out after you have purchased your ticket that the performance is no longer accessible to you, you can contact us for a ticket return at ticketing@sophiensaele.com or 030 27 89 00 45 until 5 business days after the event (Monday through Friday between 10am and 6pm).
Early boarding
If, for artistic reasons, the door to the auditorium does not open until very shortly before the performance begins, there is the option of early boarding.
Tickets
- Reservations can be made via the ticket telephone at 030 283 52 66, Monday to Friday from 4pm-6pm
- Via the online ticket shop
- At the box office
You can also find more information about accessibility at the house here.
Artistic direction, performance: Justin F Kennedy
Performance: Orhun Mersin, Corey Scott-Gilbert, Willie Stark
Composition, performance: Guillermo E. Brown, Shannon Funchess
Additional composition: Wynne Bennett
Dramaturgy: Ligia Lewis
Set design: Makode Linde
Costume design: SADAK
Lighting design: Joseph Wegmann
Prosthetic design: Una Ryu
Headpieces, graphic design: Evan Loxton
Technical direction: Lui Marschewski
Production: Diana Paiva, Anna von Glasenapp / high expectations, Hilary Fox
A production by Justin F Kennedy in co-production with Sophiensæle. Funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion and the Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Media partners: Missy Magazine, Siegessäule, taz.
Justin F Kennedy (JFK) is a Berlin-based community dance/vocal artist, teacher, DJ, and dramaturg from Ay Ay (St. Croix, US Virgin Islands). Kennedy’s practice spans performing and visual arts, incorporating choreography, vocalization, and contemporary ritual. Their work pursues transformation/sophisticated amalgamation and often emerges as sci-fi opera, collage, movement research, film, cyphers, workshops, zines, street interventions and sound installation. Notable projects of late include: Apocalypso (2025), hollow gram (2025) and Signs (2024), presented at Berlin Art Week curated by Solvej Ovesen. Meaningful collaborations include: Tino Sehgal, Ligia Lewis and Jeremy Shaw. Kennedy’s works have been presented at Fotografiska Museum Berlin, Galerie Wedding, Impulstanz Vienna, Martin Gropius Bau Berlin and the Hammer Museum LA. They are currently a guest professor of choreography and movement research at HZT Berlin, SNDO Amsterdam, Bard College Berlin and USC Kaufman School of Dance.
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© Mayra Wallraff -
© Mayra Wallraff -
