List of productions invited to FIDENA (As of 05.01.18, subject to change without notice):

“Le Petit Théâtre du Bout du Monde, Opus 1”, Ezéquiel Garcia Romeu (FR), German premiere
A landscape populated with an intricate ensemble of lost, quirky characters, dolls like you and me. They conquer our hearts and we can only hope they meet a merciful end. (9 May)

“Jake & Pete’s Big Reconciliation Attempt for the Disputes from the Past”, by and with Jakob Ampe & Pieter Ampe (BE)
Two brothers, one a performer and the other a speech therapist, replay the games of their youth. What is still fun, where are the loving challenges, and when do ambition, competitive thinking, and envy arise? An completely artistic balancing act with plenty of physical action and lots of wooden boxes. (9/10 May)

“Un secret de rue”, by Alain Lecucq and Narguess Majd (FR/Iran), world premiere of the German version
The novel about the everyday life of girls and women in today’s Tehran is retold using new methods of paper theatre: an incredibly contemporary and moving form of expression. (10 May)

“Camouflage”, Özlem Alkis (TR)
An ingenious game of hide-and-seek, in which the choreographer makes the invisible visible, and tests our perception. Bodies and materials shape each other, create environments and patterns of movement, and are simultaneously determined by them. (10 May)

“Things quickly forgotten”, Xavi Bobes (ES)
Five people sit around a table for a piece of poetic object theatre that slowly but surely gets under your skin. (10/11/12/13 May)

“The Homes of Latung LaLa”, David Ymbernon (ES), German premiere
A family welcomes their guests into their kitchen and living room. Just as when we were children, a show is prepared in mini-format, but with the utmost care. (10/11/12/13 May)

“Babylon”, Neville Tranter (Australia/NL)
The King of Puppetry with his latest play about tugboats and a special refugee, the promised land and religious nonsense. Caution! This is Tranter at his best: complete with black humour and blasphemy. (10 May)

“Whispers”, Cie. Mossoux-Bonté (BE)
A woman alone in a room. Or maybe not? Is the room inhabited or is it haunted by its ancestors? How much of the lives of our ancestors do we still have within us? A choreography of taffeta and tulle, skin and hair, whispering and mystery. (11 May)

“N.N.”, Ainsley Henderson (UK), German premiere
The British all-rounder has made a name for himself around the world with his animated films. Here the creation of a film and the artist’s ostensible small talk result in something astonishing. (11 May)

“The Ventriloquist Convention”, Gisèle Vienne, Puppet Theatre Halle (FR/DE)
The well-known director Gisèle Vienne has caused an international sensation with Germany’s best puppet theatre ensemble and a play about a ventriloquist convention in the southern states, which becomes more and more surreal. (12 May)

“Arde brillante en los bosques de la noche”, Mariano Pensotti (ARG)
The well-known director from Buenos Aires interweaves puppetry, drama and film to tell a breathtaking story about the entanglement of the (idealistic) individual in the clutches of capitalism. An absolute highlight! (13 May)

“Visiting time Over”, Ariel Doron and TJG Dresden (ISR/DE)
17 ways to execute a doll – an experimental show reminiscent of early visual art performances. (13/14 May)

“Coulrophobia”, Pickled Image (UK), German premiere
Two clowns are living in a world of cardboard, dominated by an authoritarian clown doll. There is no escape – not even for the public. (14/16 May)

“Solace”, Uta Gebert (DE)
A new production of the German puppeteer tells about comfort, protection and halt through a unique relationship between a child and enigmatic characters. (14/15 May)

“23 viewpoints about conflict”, Worst Case Scenario (ISR), German premiere
The Israeli theatre group presents the most incredible examples of possible reactions to conflict. With the help of objects and a terrific text, the players create a kaleidoscope of young people’s lives in Jerusalem. (15 May)

“Sorry Boys”, Marta Cuscuna (IT), German premiere
A puppeteer, a dozen dolls’ heads, and a true story about a group of very young girls who decide to become pregnant together – out of protest. (17 May)

“Orlando Furioso”, Mimmo Cuticchio (IT), German premiere
The most famous cantadore from the old Sicilian art form ‘Opera dei Pupi’ in his Element: No Paladin remains untouched, the content is as politically incorrect as the presentation, with its cheerful mixture of punching and stabbing, clashing and clattering of metal, a complicated love story and an incredible Mimmo Cuticchio! (17/18 May)

Open air

“PUNCH”, Oberhoff/Snuff Puppets (DE/AUS), world premiere
PUNCH is the world’s biggest puppet, a theatrical superhero unpredictable and rebellious. Equipped with a drill and explosives, accompanied by his hippopotamus and musical hullabaloo in the buzzing city, he kicks up political shenanigans, takes over the district court and stages his own funeral. (9-12 May)

“Versailles Reloaded”, Pyromantiker (DE)
The tradition of the baroque fireworks creates a comedic and fantastically imaginative fireworks performance. (16 May)

For children

“Bomba Mix”, Alfredo Zinola (IT)
Why do girls want pink and what if boys want it too – what’s going on in our toy industry? (12 May)

“A hole is mostly round”, Florschütz and Döhnert (DE)
A hole weighs nothing and doesn’t have a name. But there’s always one somewhere. In a sock, in cheese and even in the air. If you want to touch it, you just reach into emptiness. Holes are mysterious. This object theatre, almost wordless, is magical and absurdly funny. (12 May)

“Party”, Alfredo Zinola (IT)
Children should also have their own festival party! Not just any party, but a party with artists and objects. With a DJ, dancing, craziness and surprises. (13 May)

“The Story of a long day”, Agora Theater (BE)
He and she have always lived like this and that’s OK. Everything fits, colour-wise anyway. And suddenly someone else arrives on the scene. And nothing seems to fit anymore. Somehow it’s a lot more colourful. And funnier. But is that so good? (17 May)

Extras on the theme of the end of coal mining

“Carbon”, Cie Freaks and Fremde (DE), world premiere, a specially commissioned production in cooperation with the Ruhr Art Museums
As coal mining comes to an end in the area, the theatre group links the Ruhrgebiet with Niederlausitz and Colombia, thus highlighting the global connections in the mining of fossil fuels. (12/13 May)

“The End of the Coal”, The Village (DE)
An animated film with live music. 40 musicians blow our brains out. (13 May)