Nestervals Eldorado – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin
Nestervals Eldorado
This is binge-watching meets theater, live and up close. Much like a camera weaves through an elaborate film set, Nestervals Eldorado guides the audience through a multitude of scenes, introducing us to a whole range of characters and their stories along the way. Presented by the ground-breaking queer theater group Nesterval, this intricate production is a masterful display of storytelling.
Nesterval is know for its immersive theatrical productions, which often take over entire buildings and last for several hours, transforming theater into a true experience. In the troupe’s hometown of Vienna, performances sell out in a matter of minutes, and now, for the first time, they are coming to Berlin to debut Nestervals Eldorado, a site-specific work developed for Sophiensæle. Set primarily in and around the Sophiensæle bulding complex and Berlin’s Scheunenviertel neighborhood, the piece centers around Berlin’s queer history before and during Nazi rule. Inspired by biographies of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans people who were systematically persecuted and murdered at the hands of the Nazi regime, this production artfully weaves fiction and reality into a poignat story that allows the audience to fully inhabit the characters’ thoughts and experiences.
Nesterval is a diverse ensemble made up of actors, immersive performers, and other stage artists, including drag queens and kings. In their works, various performance styles share the stage as equals. The result is a queer people’s theater that shines a spotlight from the past onto our present day. In this production, the audience, divided into small groups, experiences the plot in fragments, never as a whole. As a result, comparing notes afterwards becomes part of the experience, with audience members eager to discuss what they’ve just seen. This creates unique opportunities for engagement and reflection that linger long after the show is over.
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, direction: Martin Finnland
Book: Teresa Löfberg
Co-Authors: Gisa Fellerer, Martin Finnland, Lorenz Tröbinger
Dramaturgy, managing director: Tove Grün
Technical director: Lukas (Lupo) Saller
Production Vienna: Chiara Seide
Production Berlin: Gioia Morgan
Scenography: Andrea Konrad
Set construction: Sophiensæle
Costume design: Sophie Eidenberger based on Dritan Kosovrasti
Choreography: Jerôme Knols based on Marcelo Doño
Technical dramaturgy: Lorenz Tröbinger
Composition: Julian Muldoon
Song lyrics: Sarah Muldoon
Music curation, video: Alkis Vlassakakis
Sound design: Lorenz Tröbinger, Alkis Vlassakakis
Dramaturgical development: Gisa Fellerer, Tove Grün
Administrative assistant: Chiara Seide
Academic research: Lotta Beckers (Berlin research), Andreas Brunner & Hannes Sulzenbacher (QWIEN), Jürgen Pettinger
Magic consulting: Raphael Macho
Scenography team: Valerie Stötzer
Stage management, prompter: Gioia Morgan, Sophie Eidenberger
Graphic design: Rita Brandneulinger
Website: Gisa Fellerer
Communications: Christopher Wurmdobler
Photography: Alexandra Thompson
Trailer: Sabine Anders
Assistant director: Marlo Pichler
Co-Concept, archive: Martin Walkner
Grant applications: Chiara Seide, Martin Walkner
Accounting, pffice: Doris Panzer
Special thanks to: Miriam Hie & Peter Hörmanseder (sound recordings), Eike Wittrock, the friends of Nesterval, in particular chairperson Andrea Lenk and deputy Markus Kellner, as well as supporters Michael Brantner, Sara Chafi, Richard Comploi-Taupe, Oleg Elkin, Theo Enzelberger, Johannes Felber, Martin Hinterndorfer, Andreas Kauba, Kaya Alina Knapp, Philipp Leitenbauer, Julia Polz, Rohr Elisabeth Real Estate e.U., Sabine (Peter) Sammer, Maria Sibilia, Gerald Timelthaler, Sylvia Waldstätten, Tobias Walka, and Thomas Zedrosser as well as René Lipkovich (SLT Siart Lipkovich + Team GmbH & Co KG), Helmut Patterer (PRBS Patterer e.U.) and Nikolaus Vogler (PHKV Rechtsanwälte)
The Nameless
Der C.: Christopher Wurmdobler
Der F.: Martin Finnland
Die G.: Gisa Fellerer
Die K.: Géraldine Schabraque
Der P.: Stefan Pauser
Der S.: Mio Wendelin Riedl
Die R.: Romy Hrubeš
Der W.: Willy Mutzenpachner
Claire Waldoff: Felizitas Navidad
The Others
Anna Binder: Rita Brandneulinger
Arthur Nesterval: Knut Berger
Dietrich Wagner: Chris Pfannebecker
Eduard Glück: Marcel Jacqueline Gisdol
Martin Mayerhof: Martin Walkner
Hedwig Glück: Laura Athanasiadis
Martha Nesterval: Aston Matters
Paul Lopek: Lorenz Tröbinger
Pfarrer Harald Poelchau: Peter Kraus
Traudl Jungmann: Sabrina Strehl
Viktor Eckardt: Alkis Vlassakakis
Stage management
Fräulein Erna: Gioia Morgan
Fräulein Evi: Sophie Eidenberger
Fräulein Else: Tove Grün
QueerCUNTINine: Program curated by Heinrich Horwitz
A production by Nesterval in co-production with Sophiensæle. Based on the co-production with brut Wien. Funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation. Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Funded by the Federal Ministry of Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport (BMWKMS) and the City of Vienna. Funded by the Ilse und Dr. Horst Rusch-Stiftung and the Between Bridges Foundation. Media partners: Missy Magazine, Siegessäule, taz, Yorck Kinogruppe.
Founded in 2011, Nesterval is a queer immersive theater ensemble that reimagines literary and stage classics for contemporary times through deconstruction and exaggeration. Nesterval productions invite audiences to co-create a theatrical experience of serious play, in which dark humor, boundless creativity, and empathic interaction open lines of dialogue that continue long after the performance is over.
The focus at Nesterval is on queer techniques of social critique and self-empowerment, manifested through gamification. Theater pieces revolve around the many members of the fictional Nesterval dynasty, who are transposed into well-known stories. Game-within-a-game approaches, as in role-playing games, are frequently used to raise socio-political questions and negotiate their implications.
Most of Nesterval’s nearly 30 national and international productions are tailored to a specific site. By drawing inspiration from the cultural history of a performance location, Nesterval reanimates abandoned, ignored, or underused spaces and thus helps to decentralize the art scene and cultural industry. Under the leadership of Martin Finnland (concept, direction) and Teresa Löfberg (script, dramaturgy), an ensemble of more than 20 actors, drag artists, and other performers bring the Nesterval family saga to life.
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© Alexandra Thompson -
© Alexandra Thompson -
© Alexandra Thompson -
© Alexandra Thompson -
© Alexandra Thompson -
© Alexandra Thompson