[TWO]Thousand[twenty]
and one night

Deeb Elqumssan (Gaza / Palestinian territories), Schaubude Berlin (Germany), FILM RISS THEATER (Germany), Ro'ya Association for Development Abilities (Gaza / Palestinian territories)

In "One Thousand and One Nights", a courageous woman tells stories in order to survive. Scheherazade faces execution if she fails to grasp the sultan’s attention. Literature serves as a life-sustaining measure, whether in the politically induced lockdown of Gazastrip or that of a pandemic.

In this format of storytelling, the course of action emerges both staged and spontaneously out of the moment, combining Object Theater with real actors from Gaza and Berlin. It is like a movie that is being created live and in which actors and actresses, who are 4000 km away, meet and take part. Also objects and artifacts from both sides become participants. What was just a teacup becomes the sea one sails out to, a spoon becomes a spaceship to take off with.

In this way, the stories span several genres and political boundaries. Where words are not enough, other forms of communication emerge: body and phantasy languages, music, and especially, images and projection, sometimes even with the help of the audience. Scheherazade is at home on both sides of this visual-sensual cosmos. Whether she reaches the heart of the sultan with her stories or loses her mind and head is decided by a worldwide (presumably) virtual audience.

Concept, artistic direction, object theater: Deeb Elqumssan, Miriam Sachs | With: Uta Zech, Mohamed AlGoul, Fidaa Alzaanin, Andrea Mincione | Livestream Edition: Emre Birismen | Music: Kerstin Kaernbach | Further cooperation partners: BLO-Ateliers, Berlin-Lichtenberg | Supported by: LICHT-BLICKE / as part of the federal program Demokratie leben, Kiezfonds Berlin Lichtenberg, Kulturstiftung des Bundes.