Olivia Hyunsin Kim/ddanddarakim: Be thankful, they said | Oct 04, 05, 06, 07 | Festsaal – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin

Olivia Hyunsin Kim/ddanddarakim:
Be thankful, they said

_Be thankful,they said_©MayraWallraff-high_res-65

2023 marked the 70th anniversary of the first transnational adoption from South Korea and the critical voices of adoptees have never been louder. In Be thankful, they said, the international artistic team around Olivia Hyunsin Kim/ddanddarakim humorously re-appropriates clichéd adoption narratives, confronts the erasure of their identities and shows how those affected reclaim their own stories.

Based on interviews with experts, artists and activists from the South Korean diaspora, who were themselves adopted as children into Western countries, the performance traces the aftermath of a history of global entanglements that still receives little attention. A history that was not only characterized by charity and humanitarian aid intentions, but also by the reproduction of colonial structures, white savior fantasies, patriarchal oppression, forced migration and human trafficking. How do transnational adoptees reflect on their childhood in retrospect? And what political demands arise today from the lived experience of transnationally adopted people?

Be thankful, they said is a multidisciplinary artistic exploration of (pop) cultural and media images of transnational adoption and the real individual perspectives of the people affected.

Premiere Ticket

The play deals with the experiences of transnationally adopted people and their biological mothers. The topics addressed are colonialism, racism, white rescue fantasies, physical violence, poverty, forced migration, forced separation, stillbirth and child abduction. Flight, war, protests and (military) dictatorships are mentioned in a historical context. The footage shows, among other things, the transportation of babies from South Korea in stacked boxes on an airplane.

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).

Duration

  • 70 minutes without break

Language

  • German, English, Korean and Swedish spoken language with subtitles (no language skills required for Korean and Swedish)
  • Translation of spoken language into German Sign Language (DGS) on 04.10. and 05.10.

Audio description

  • The performance on October 5 will take place with German audio description.
  • The preceding tactile tour will take place on October 5 at 7 pm. The meeting point for the tactile tours is in front of the box office in the courtyard.
  • If required, we offer a pick-up service for blind and visually impaired people from the nearby S-Bahn and streetcar stations before the tactile tours. These are the S-Bahn Hackescher Markt, the U-Bahn Weinmeisterstraße or the streetcar station Weinmeisterstraße/Gipsstraße. To make use of the pick-up service, please contact us during our business hours (Monday to Friday between 10 am and 6 pm) on 030 27 89 00 35 or barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com.
  • You can find more information about audio descriptions and pick-up service at the Sophiensaele here.

Light

  • The lighting situation is neither too dark nor too bright.
  • There are light changes. These are not sudden.

Sound

  • There is an atmospheric soundscape. There are songs in some places.
  • There are no loud or sudden sound effects.

Audience

  • Seated grandstand
  • 2 beanbag seats bookable subject to availability
  • 2 wheelchair spaces bookable subject to availability

Early boarding

  • There will be a long admission. The doors will open 20 minutes before the start.

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, choreography: Olivia Hyunsin Kim
Dance: Daniel Jeremiah Persson
Korean Traditional Dance Coach: Ji Sun Hagen
Video design, lighting: Jones Seitz
Stage: Soojin Oh
Costumes: Kristin Gerwien, Arnita Jaunsubrena
Sound artist: Tatiana Heumann
Technical direction: Gretchen Blegen
Dramaturgy: Maria Rößler 
Outside Eye: Lena Soon Hee Meierkord
Guest appearance: Olivia Hyunsin Kim, Ji Sun Hagen
Access consulting: Hyemi Jolee
Production management: ehrliche arbeit - freelance office for culture
Transcriptions, assistant director: Mel Brinkmann
Graphic design: Christian Cattelan
DGS interpreting: Hyemi Jolee, Aniella Tiedje, Lisa Leonhardt
Audio description: Hannah Aldinger, Ari Althaus, Johanna Krins
First movement research: Sunniva Vikør Egenes
Thanks to: kimura byol lemoine, Mirae kh RHEE, Kang Yoon Jung aka Martine Lunshof, Vic So Hee Alz, Le Dan, Maïté Minh Tâm Maeum Jeannolin, Deann Borshay Liem, Lena Soon Hee Meierkord, Chale Gobbett, Isabel, Joon Hee (Erika) Blikman, Melanie, Tobias Hübinette, Kim Sang-Mee, Do-Hyun Kim (KoRoot), Timm Shik Therre

A production by Olivia Hyunsin Kim/ddanddarakim in co-production with Sophiensæle. Supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion and with funds from the Capital Cultural Fund. Thanks to Uferstudios, PSR Kollektiv and Theaterhaus Berlin. Media partners: Missy Magazine, Siegessäule, taz.

Olivia Hyunsin Kim/ddanddarakim work collectively on choreographic works with a queer-feminist and postcolonial focus. Through fiction, they renegotiate power relations and offer empowering alternatives to the present. Their works have been shown at Sophiensæle, Art Sonje Center, Staatsoper Hannover, Museo Universitario del Chopo, among others. The permanent team consists of Kristin Gerwien, Olivia Hyunsin Kim and Jones Seitz.

Kristin Gerwien creates costumes and objects for performances. As a singer, she explores songwriting and karaoke. Together with Juckpulver, she curates adventurous music as a co-director at TNT Marburg.

Olivia Hyunsin works as a choreographer and curator. She has been a fellow of, among others, danceweb, the Tarabya Cultural Academy, and Vila Sul Bahia, and won first prize at the Amadeu Antonio Art Award in 2019. 

Jones Seitz develops lighting and video design for their own installations as well as performance projects and is a founding member of the FLINTA+ network Gefährliche Arbeit e.V.

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    ©Mayra Wallraff
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