Anja and Peter Scollin founded the Platypus Theater in 1985 and jointly manage the theater. Platypus is one of Berlin’s outstanding and consistently active independent theaters. With its concept, implemented since 1992, of staging theater for young audiences in English, Platypus has become the leading English-language theater for children and young people in Berlin.
Image gallery
genid-66bd5bdb641047d8ad0a83edd26b83f573411384-b192
Since Platypus does not have its own venue, the theater collaborates with several Berlin stages; its most important partners are the BKA Theater and the ufaFabrik.
Approximately 110 performances take place in Berlin each year.
Platypus also goes on touring engagements throughout Germany. We welcome over 23,000 children and young people to our performances each year.
Platypus employs actors, actresses, playwrights, and musicians from various English-speaking countries such as England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, and the USA. Thanks to our multinational ensemble, the “foreignness” we explore in our plays is not merely “acted out” but becomes real: through the “foreign” stories, mentalities, and experiences of those involved.
How can producing English-language theater for an audience that has only been learning English in school for a few years possibly work?
In foreign-language theater, it is essential to consciously focus on what is important and avoid introducing distracting subplots. Well-written scripts are needed that stand out for their clear language. Space must be given for linguistic comprehension.
For the director, one of the key challenges is therefore to practice the art of reduction and to develop an artistically compelling staging concept.
There are hardly any plays suitable for this specific requirement.
Most are too wordy and are generally written for their own linguistic region and culture. The primary goal is to create good, intelligent theater for a young audience in which all social classes are represented and can be represented. The audience should leave the theater with a sense of accomplishment—“I understood everything; my concern was unfounded”—a motivational boost for further English language learning.
Nearly all of the 35 plays have been created through artistic collaboration between the ensemble, the director, the dramaturg, and the playwrights. The artistic team constantly takes on new creative and thematic challenges, breaking new ground in terms of subject matter, production methods, and aesthetics.
Since early 2023, the Platypus Theater has been co-directed by Rachel Pattison and Richard Krutzsch.
