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Documentary theater by Michael Ruf

About people who take the risky route across the Mediterranean in the hope of finding safety in Europe.


The Mediterranean monologues are documentary theatre. Author Michael Ruf (Wort und Herzschlag) conducts interviews that last several hours, sometimes several days. These interviews are then only shortened and condensed. Nothing is invented and the language used is retained. Literal, literal theatre.

Inspired by these interviews, Michael Ruf also wrote song lyrics that were set to music in collaboration with composers. This is how »Tons of Water« (composition: Marlène Colle), »We fall into silence« (composition: Torsten Knoll) and »The Memories always return« (composition: Peer Kleinschmidt) came about. Since December 2021, these songs have been an integral part of the Mediterranean monologues.

The Mediterranean monologues tell of people who take the risky route across the Mediterranean in the hope of being able to live safely in Europe - of Libyan coastguards, Italian sea rescue services and German authorities who prevent this and of activists, who oppose the dying on the Mediterranean Sea. As volunteers at the Alarmphone, these activists convince the coast guards to save people in distress at sea or learn how to save people from drowning on the Seawatch - in short, they do what is actually most natural, but which is anything but natural in 2022: human to save lives!

It is as if the actors are addressing the people in the audience directly, reaching out to them and drawing them into a world that from now on will not leave the audience indifferent: entangled, entwined, connected and networked with the protagonists of the Mediterranean monologues, the audience follows the paths of the stories told with excitement.

If the actors whisper, remain silent, carefully throw a word into the room, now and then raise their voices demandingly or angrily, even almost scream at one point, then the sounds do not reach the audience in an abstract way, then that will happen Audience hit and touched directly and in all their physicality by what was said. When the actress looks at the audience, they are drawn into what they know and believe actually happened.

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Additional information
We do apologize that the following information is currently only available in German.
Dates
November 2024
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