Ntando Cele: Wasted Land – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin
Ntando Cele:
Wasted Land

Wasted Land
English, With German subtitles
25€/20€/15€/10€
Berlin premiere
Wasted Land is set in a post-apocalyptic scenario at the end of all catastrophes. The only person left alive is a Black woman. Departing from the question of what she would do with her absolute freedom on an empty planet, this whimsical musical evening of theater confronts its audience with a dystopian world in the near future. This world is at least as ruined by climate change and environmental destruction as it is by racism, misogyny and other forms of oppression.
Together with Egyptian composer Wael Sami Elkholy and three powerful singerperformers, the Bern-based South African artist Ntando Cele, tackles the human disasters of fast fashion and Western feel-good ecology – where organic labels and comforting promises of recycling make one person’s sustainable dream another person’s disaster. This lively plea for a decolonial ecology uses a great deal of absurd humor and biting sarcasm to hit the spot where it hurts the most.
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 030 278 900 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 030 278 900 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, direction: Ntando Cele
With: Ntando Cele, Brandy Butler, Françoise Gautier, Steffi Lobréau
Composition, musical direction: Wael Sami Elkholy
Beats: Soukey
Costumes: Rudolf Jost
Artistic and technical collaboration: Sandro Griesser
Collaboration in dramaturgy: Raphael Urweider, Davide-Christelle Sanvee
Assistant director: Joëlle Antonie Gbeassor
Sound: Janyves Coïc
Light: Demian Jakob
Video: Janosch Abel, Nicolas Gerlier
German surtitles: Melanie Albrecht
Production and booking: Marion Caillaud, Elizabeth Gay, Nina Sautter (Manaka Empowerment Prod.)
Construction of sets, costumes and props: Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne
General technical management: Nelly Chauvet
Lighting management: Julie Nowotnik
Video management: Nicolas Gerlier
Sound management: Marc Pieussergues
Production: Manaka Empowerment Prod., Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne
Many thanks to: Isabela Gygax, Ueli Kempter, Nora Li-Hess, Patricia Kafwamba Oguey, Payal Parekh
Ntando Cele was born in Durban, South Africa, and lives in Bern. She studied theater in Durban before continuing her artistic education at DasArts in Amsterdam. Together with Raphael Urweider, she founded Manaka Empowerment Prod in 2013. Her performances play with the boundaries between theater, video installation, concert and performance. With humor and deliberately politically incorrect statements, she addresses hidden racism in everyday life. She combines music, text and video to cheerfully dissect prejudices and stereotypes and confront the audience with their own perceptions.
In February 2020, Cele invited her fellow artists to discuss the limitations faced by artists of color in a satirical discussion titled Enemy of Progressas part of the it’s not that simple festival at the Schlachthaus Theater in Bern. In 2023, she won the Swiss Diversity Award for Wer hat Angst vorm weißen Mann? as well as the Swiss Performing Arts Award. In 2024, she was nominated for the Theo d'Or at the Netherlands Theater Festival and won Best Direction for SPAfrica, a co-creation with Julian Hetzel.
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© Claudia Ndebele -
© Claudia Ndebele -
© Claudia Ndebele -
© Claudia Ndebele -
© Claudia Ndebele -
© Claudia Ndebele -
© Claudia Ndebele