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Literature, Poetry

Death plays a central role in all cultures and is the subject of numerous stories. The storytelling duo Kathleen Rappolt and Jan Sell bring four stories from Italy, India, West Africa and Afghanistan to the stage of the Mechanical Arena in the foyer of the Humboldt Forum.


The two weave fairy tales and stories into a journey through expectations, experiences and memories of death. They perform the storytelling program for adults in German spoken language (Kathleen Rappolt) and sign language (Jan Sell).

Kathleen Rappolt studied Early Years teaching at the ASH Berlin Centre for Further Education. Following that, she completed a Master’s degree in teaching Theatre and Artistic Storytelling. Storytelling in Art and Education (UdK Berlin). Since 2012 she has worked as a freelance storyteller, drama teacher and lecturer. She has been engaged to perform at many different theatres, national and international storytelling festivals, as well as working with educational institutions and in various projects, including ErzählZeit. She has been a member of the Theatre oN ensemble since September 2019. From 2015 to 2019 she was artistic director and presenter for Erzählbühne Berlin.

Jan Sell grew up in a boarding school for deaf people. Even then, he told bedtime stories to other children in the dormitory and created exciting dialogue for films on TV as there were no subtitles in East Germany. At the age of 15 he took to the grand stage and since then has participated in various theatre productions. He received awards for Best Actor for his performances as Bruno in Martha (2003) and as Gildo in Gott ist taub (2014). Since then Jan Sell has worked as an actor, editor and operator in the media division of ZfK e.V., and also as a storyteller.

- Free of charge
- 12 years and older
- Language: German, German Sign Language
- Mechanical Arena in the Foyer

The exhibition in_finite. Living with Death ends on 26 November 2023. Secure your ticket now. Opening hours: Wednesday to Monday from 10:30 - 18:30, Tuesday is a regular closing day.

Additional information

Our tip: On Nov. 23, 2023, Collegium Hungaricum will show the award-winning film Heights and Depths. The film is based on the true story of a mountain climber who died in an accident. It focuses on his wife as she deals with her husband's death - her story of grief is told. Collegium Hungaricum, Dorotheenstaße 12, 10117 Berlin

Accessibility


Barrier-free parking is available south of the Humboldt Forum on Schlossplatz. Barrier-free parking is available south of the Humboldt Forum on Schlossplatz. For more information, click here.

Public transport: U-Bahn Museumsinsel (U5) 1 min walk; S/U Alexanderplatz 15 min walk; S Hackescher Markt 10 min walk, Bus 100, 200, 300, 147, N5