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Black Bismarck

theatre performance

A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of colonialism. In 1884/85, Otto von Bismarck invited the leaders of old Europe to the so-called “Berlin-Conference” into his residence (Reichskanzlerpalais) in order to divide Africa among them. They randomly drew lines on a map and created borders which still exist today and are the cause for many political and military conflicts. The date of the conference also marks the beginning of Germany’s thirty-year long period of colonial rule in the region of today’s Togo, Cameroon, Namibia, Tanzania, Burundi and Ruanda: land-grab and kidnapping, scavenging of natural resources, forced labour, war and genocide were the consequences.

The Berlin-based “ghostbusters” of andcompany&Co. began to search for colonial ghosts: an area of allotment gardens, several rows of streets, even a whole city district and a well-known supermarket chain are still being haunted today – nearly 100 years after the official end of the German colonial period. An underground station near the “Reichskanzlerpalais” seems to be the entrance to the underworld. Ruler Bismarck, who did not come to peace in Friedrichsruh, stalks around as “the white man”: White man, what now?

Press Reviews

Black Bismarck Trailer

Cast

Conceived and performed by: Dela Dabulamanzi, Simone Dede Ayivi, Alexander Karschnia, Nicola Nord, Gorges Ocloo, Joachim Robbrecht, Sascha Sulimma&Co.

Dramaturgy: Alexander Karschnia&Co.
Set Design: Jan Brokof&Co.
Light Design: Gregor Knüppel&Co.
Video: Kathrin Krottenthaler&Co.
Costumes: Raki Fernandez&Co.
Production Assistant: Mascha Euchner-Martinez
Assistant Set Design: Julia Harttung
Technical Director: Marc Zeuske
Company Management: Katja Sonnemann

A Production by andcompany&Co. in co-production with HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin), deSingel Antwerpen, FFT Düsseldorf, Ringlokschuppen Mülheim and Theater im Pumpenhaus Münster.

With funding subsidies provided by the Capital Cultural Fund (Hauptstadtkulturfonds), the Governing Mayor of Berlin – Senate Chancellery – Cultural Affairs and Kunststiftung NRW.

  • Alexander Karschnia

    Theatre-maker and author, curator and occasional dramaturge. Co-founder of andcompany&Co., where he works as a co-director and performer. He writes about and for theatre, including Brecht, Müller, Schlingensief, Pollesch and others. Among the sins of his youth are the invention of the Frankfurt NightDanceDemos and the take over of Schlingensief’s political party CHANCE 2000. His work between science, art and activism includes lecture performances and the organisation of conferences such as EUROPE TO THE COUNCILS! at the Berlin Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, where he worked as dramaturge in the first season of René Pollesch’s directorship and curated a discourse series in the Roter Salon. He is also on the board of trustees of the KOMMUNIKATIONSAUFBAU Foundation and co-founded the “Albert O. Hirschman Prize for Interference, Contradiction and Renewal of Democratic Culture”. Karschnia is the editor of the new edition of his key work “Exit, Voice, & Loyalty”. He is currently organising the series “Thinking for the Future: The Albert O. Hirschman Effect” at the Theater im Aufbau Haus.

     

  • Nicola Nord

    theatre-maker, performer and singer. After she studied theatre-, film- and media-science at the University in Frankfurt/Main, she received an artists’ grant for DasArts (The Amsterdam School for Performing Arts). little red (play): ‘herstory’ was her final project there. She is co-founder of andcompany&Co. and contributes to the collective’s work mainly as director, co-writer and performer. Lives in Berlin.

  • Joachim Robbrecht

    The Flemish author, director and performer Joachim Robbrecht works together with artists collectives such as Warme Winkel, Wunderbaum and at Toneelgroup Amsterdam. In his work he often addresses the Netherlands from an outsider's perspective. He collaborated with andcompany&Co. in 2012 (Der (kommende) Aufstand) as well as 2013 (Bleck Bismarck). Joachim lives in Rotterdam.

  • Sascha Sulimma

    theatre-maker, music-producer, performer and and DJ from Frankfurt am Main, now living in Berlin, develops acoustic landscapes and music for theater and performance. He is co-founder of andcompany&Co. where he works as a co-director, musician and performer.