Miscellaneous Overnight stay on Berlin's theater stage as a sign to politicians

SDA

29.1.2025 - 01:34

To draw attention to the precarious situation of Berlin's cultural landscape, a couple has spent the night on the stage of the Berliner Ensemble. With this action, the Berliner Ensemble wants to send an "ironic signal" to politicians.

Keystone-SDA

They were shocked by the announced cuts, said Stefanie and Christoph Siegmann. They had bought the overnight stay at auction with a bid of 1500 euros.

The couple packed a bottle of wine, bedtime reading was ready next to the bedside lamps - Bertolt Brecht, of course, who once founded the theater. In addition to the overnight stay, the overnight package also included a visit to the theater in the evening, a bedtime poem by Marie Luise Kaschnitz, recited by actress Bettina Hoppe, and breakfast in the theater's canteen with artistic director Oliver Reese.

It was a one-off event, said Reese, "a bit between a performance and an ironic salute to politics". It was a response to the fact that they had been advised to become more economical. "We already play 600 performances a year. We already have 95 percent capacity utilization," said the artistic director. In total, Berlin's cultural sector will have to save around 130 million euros in the 2025 budget, almost twelve percent of its original budget.