House stories #3 – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin
House stories #3
To mark the end of its double anniversary, Sophiensæle looks back on its engagement with 120 years of the building’s history and 30 years of independent theatre: What gets told, what is missing, what connects – and what remains invisible? Previous artistic research projects have explored Yiddish theatre, communist and anarchist movements, crip history, anti-colonial entanglements and Nazi forced labour.
For the third edition of House stories, we invite our audience to join us for soup, bread and drinks. Together, we want to talk about how a theatre venue can remember in ways that are collective, multi-voiced and contradictory, and how this history still resonates today. In small table conversations with our guests Anujah Fernando and Heinrich Horwitz, we will discuss the role of archives and the artistic strategies that can make gaps visible and fill them in new or different ways.
The focus is on how we engage with anti-colonial and queer historiography today. As a cultural institution in Berlin-Mitte, we pay particular attention to the neighbourhood around the building and how it has developed and changed over time. We look forward to exchanging ideas with the audience and our guests!
In simple words
Sophiensæle marks 120 years of building history and 30 years of independent theatre. Looking back, we ask: What do we know? What is missing? How can a theatre remember many stories? Join us for soup, bread, drinks and conversation.
Duration
- Approx. 120 minutes, including short breaks
Language
- Spoken German
Lighting
- The lights in the hall remain bright enough throughout the event to help you find your way around.
- There are no lighting changes.
Sound
- In some parts of the performance, speech is amplified through a microphone.
- The discussion rounds take place without amplification. Participants speak at the same time, so there may be some overlapping of sound.
Other Information
- Soup and beverages will be provided.
Room
- Participants can take a seat at two tables in the room.
- There are chairs with backrests, stools with backrests, beanbags, and space for wheelchairs.
Relaxed Performance
- This is a relaxed event.
- There is a quiet space at the back of the room. Beanbags, blankets, mattresses, pillows, headphones, and stimming toys are provided there.
Early Boarding
- There will be a soft arrival. All participants can arrive at their own pace and get their bearings in the room before the event begins.
Tickets
- Free admission
With: Anujah Fernando, Heinrich Horwitz
Hosts: Elias Capelle, Stefanie Hauser (Sophiensæle)
A production by Sophiensæle. Media partners: The Berliner, Missy Magazine, Siegessäule, taz, tip Berlin.
Anujah Fernando is a cultural studies scholar, independent curator and filmmaker whose work addresses questions of public remembrance. Through research-based exhibitions, discursive event formats and documentary film projects, she develops transnational, intergenerational and feminist perspectives on migration, colonialism, resistance movements and their archives. She also researches and publishes on anti-discrimination and institutional change in the cultural sector.
Heinrich Horwitz (they/she/he) is a director, choreographer and actor who studied at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin. Heinrich’s work is created in the independent scene, at municipal and state theatres and in contemporary music, at the intersection of dance, music and text, together with a fluid team around Rosa Wernecke and Magdalena Emmerig. At its core are queer-feminist ideas and the attempt to translate political responsibility into artistic practice. Heinrich signed the #ActOut manifesto, advocates for queer visibility in culture and the media, and is active in cultural politics.