markus&markustheaterkollektiv: Die Brieffreundschaft II – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin

markus&markustheaterkollektiv: Die Brieffreundschaft II

A close-up in blue stage light: a large quill stands in an ornate metal holder on a pale plinth, with a small glass inkwell beside it. Open sheet music lies underneath. The background is deep blue and empty.
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How we deal with those who have committed violent crimes remains a question that lays bare the woundedness of our society. How will future generations look back on the way we punish today?

Recap. In 2021, Die Brieffreundschaft premiered at Sophiensæle. markus&markustheaterkollektiv struck up correspondences with four women serving life sentences for murder. The letters were the only means of developing the production together, and at the same time its central stylistic device. The question asked most often after the performances is: “Are you still writing to your pen pals?” Yes.

A lot has changed since 2021: in the world, in the penal system—and in the lives of the people who agreed back then to take part in an unusual experiment. Die Brieffreundschaft II makes visible what happens in five invisible years in prison. What kind of measure of time is five years when the horizon is life? While 1,825 days have gone by for us, their annual statement lists how many days the pen pals have already served towards release, then as now: 0. And how many days are left until release: death.

Anyone who already knows Amber, Lisa Jo, Maureen and April will recognise them – and everyone else gets to meet them for the first time. As in every new season, someone new joins the performance too: Olivia. She asks the question: Have you ever gotten into a car after one or two drinks and driven home? And did you get there safely?

I didn’t.

In simple words

Since 2021, markus&markustheaterkollektiv have been writing letters to women serving life sentences for murder. Die Brieffreundschaft II asks: What has happened in five years? And how should a society treat them?

Premiere Ticket
Ticket
Ticket
Ticket

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.

Concept and realisation: Lara-Joy Bues, Katarina Eckold, Markus Schäfer, Markus Schmans
Set design: Konstanze Grotkopp, CassidyAndTheKid (2021)
Lighting design: Anahí Pérez, Rio Theis
Voices: Marie Jordan, Ronja Losert, Laura Naumann
Drawings: Rosanna Merklin
Outreach: Daria Bertram
Thanks to: Amber, April, Lisa-Jo, Maureen, Olivia

A production by markus&markus theaterkollektiv in coproduction with Sophiensæle. Funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion, MWK Niedersachsen, Stiftung Niedersachsen, Friedrich Weinhagen Stiftung. Media partners: Missy Magazine, Siegessäule, taz.

Lara-Joy Bues, Katarina Eckold, Markus Schäfer and Markus Schmans have been working together as markus&markustheaterkollektiv since 2012. Their work is characterised by intensive research, the results of which — captured on video — form an elementary building block of their productions. They do not speak about a subject, but from within it. The people who are directly affected by the subject at hand are given a voice: their protagonists. Their work has been recognised with the George Tabori Award and the Best-Off Festival Prize of the Stiftung Niedersachsen.

  • A close-up in blue stage light: a large quill stands in an ornate metal holder on a pale plinth, with a small glass inkwell beside it. Open sheet music lies underneath. The background is deep blue and empty.
    © Paula Reissig
  • A stage set in blue light with dense ground fog: a large inflatable shark hangs inside a scaffolding frame. Two projection surfaces on the left and in the centre show coral reefs with fish. On the right hang a balance scale and a violin, next to a plinth holding a feather. Above it all, the open rigging with spotlights.
    © Paula Reissig
  • A person with glasses and a red hoodie stands in front of a large projection, holding an open folder. Projected onto the surface and onto the person: English handwriting in pale green cursive on ruled lines, with a blue-tinged landscape image behind it.
    © Paula Reissig
  • Two people wearing large bird masks stand on a stage, reading from open folders. On the left, a grey pigeon mask with a purple T-shirt; on the right, a white mask with a yellow beak and a red hoodie. In the background, a hanging cloth shows a projected flock of birds against a green-blue sky; to the right, a small tree on a plinth.
    © Paula Reissig