THE CHRISTMAS STAR - Estrella de Navidad

An atmospheric puppet theatre production for the Advent season, centred on kindness, friendship and happiness, is this Christmas story revolving around a beautiful star – written and directed by Jost Braun and performed by Hanne Braun.

You’ll be enchanted by this charming, peaceful, lyrical and original little story, spiced with beautiful poems and winter songs, which gently sets the mood for the dreams and memories of the Advent and Christmas season.

‘The Christmas Star’ is told with plenty of music (particularly winter songs), poems about winter and a lovely atmosphere; it snows and storms, and at the end a Christmas tree is decorated – this focuses particularly on winter and, of course, also refers to the tradition of Christmas celebrations with presents, a fir tree and lights, as well as singing songs and reciting poems.

Above all, it is about helpfulness and kindness – even towards strangers – and about different characters living together harmoniously, with the aim of finding shared joy in life …

One winter’s day, shortly before Christmas, Traudi, the older sister of Hanni and Alex, is pulling a sledge home laden with Christmas presents for her loved ones and a Christmas tree. She stops for a rest in a forest clearing and looks inside some of the boxes.

Traudi unpacks a hare and a hedgehog, who immediately start discussing the situation amongst themselves and livening up the scene. Shortly afterwards, a fox also joins in the action – a fox who was actually meant to keep Traudi warm as a fur collar on her winter coat.

It’s snowing, and a strange, glittering thing falls from above. Is it a large snowflake? It doesn’t know itself, or has forgotten what it is and where it belongs. The rabbit, the hedgehog and the fox can’t help, so they finally set off together with the glittering thing to see the stag, who, from the top of the hill, sees everything and knows the answer to everything.

It’s Christmas, and suddenly a sparkling star shines at the top of the Christmas tree.

Programme and cast

• The Two Roots – Christian Morgenstern
• The Arrival of Winter – folk tradition
• ‘Snowflake, Little White Skirt’ – Words: based on Hedwig Haferkorn; Melody: folk song
• Oh Bitter Winter – Melody and lyrics ‘Der saure Winter ist so kalt’ in Father Johannes Werlin’s song manuscript, Seeon Abbey on Lake Chiemsee, 1646 onwards; 3rd verse by J. Theissing. Lyrics ‘O saurer Winter, du bist so kalt’ in the Ambras Songbook, Frankfurt am Main 1582, and in the Berlin Songbook of 1582. A similar song, ‘Arghe winter, ghy zijt cout’, in the Antwerp Songbook of 1544
• Christmas is coming soon – Words: Carola Wilke, Melody: Hans Helmut
• Winter is a true man – Words: Matthias Claudius (1782) – Selection, Melody: Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1797)
• A time has come for us – Words: P. Hermann, Melody: Swiss folk song

Stage adaptation, direction, set design and sound design

• Jost Braun

Characters

• Marita Bachmaier

Performed by

• Hanne Braun

Dates

Mon, 23 Nov 2026, 10.30 am – Schwartzsche Villa Steglitz / Theatre Hall (Grunewaldstr. 55 / U Rathaus Steglitz)

Tue 24 Nov 2026, 10.30 am – Anne Frank Youth Centre, Wilmersdorf (Mecklenburgische Str. 15 / Underground: Heidelberger Platz, bus: Am Volkspark)

Thu 26 Nov 2026, 10.30 am – Kulturcafé Fincan Neukölln (Altenbraker Str. 26, corner of Nogatstr. / S Hermannstr.)

Fri 27 November 2026, 10.30 am – Ernst-Lange-Haus Staaken / Main Hall (Pillnitzer Weg 8 / bus to Reimerweg-Heerstr. or bus to Rudolf-Wissell-Siedlung)