"To understand this world, we need to know how to love, because when we know how to love, we understand how to save this world." It's Britney, Bitch! is a musical-narrative evening about unhappy love and addiction, about truth and veracity in pop, about fathers of daughters and about daughters of fathers. An evening about Britney Spears and about the Britney in all of us.
Image gallery
Sina Martens, It's Britney, Bitch!
Sina Martens, It's Britney, Bitch!
When Britney Spears took the stage shortly before the turn of the millennium, she was seen as the epitome of innocence turned pop: beautiful, princess-like, harmless. Mickey Mouse Club, Justin Timberlake, schoolgirl uniform, red latex, marriage.
But then: February 6, 2007. Britney Spears publicly shaves off her hair. "Breakdown", "crash", "the end" is what the media calls it. Sure. It's obvious, after all. But what if it isn't? What if this action was not a short circuit, not a cry for help, not a psychological low point? Why wasn't this moment read as a statement, as a purposeful act of emancipation? As a self-determined end to the sexualization of her person? "Britney survived 2007, you can handle today" has gone from a meme to a way of life.
So what if it wasn't about survival at the time, but about a 26-year-old woman having no other way to break out of a foreign-determined and constructed identity? Britney Spears' attempted breakout was decided and manifested by the press and the public, thirsty for sensation and for suffering, as a comprehensible end. The breakout resulted in her being under the guardianship and absolute control of her father until recently.
It's Britney, Bitch! is an evening that does not claim to understand. It's Britney Bitch! is a declaration of love for a woman who is more than just a friendly major chord in the history of pop.
Additional information
ABOUT THE PLAY *IT’S BRITNEY, BITCH!* BY LENA BRASCH AND SINA MARTENS
When Britney Spears took the stage shortly before the turn of the millennium, she was considered the epitome of innocence turned pop star: beautiful, princess-like, harmless. The Mickey Mouse Club, Justin Timberlake, schoolgirl uniform, eventually red latex, gold records, a Grammy, marriage. But then: February 6, 2007. Britney Spears publicly shaves her head. “Breakdown,” “crash,” “the end”—that’s what the media called it.
The outburst resulted in her being placed under her father’s guardianship and absolute control for 13 years. Britney Spears’ attempt to break free was decided and portrayed by the press and the public—thirsty for sensation and suffering—as an inevitable conclusion. But what if it wasn’t? What if this act wasn’t a momentary lapse, a cry for help, or a psychological low point? Why was this moment never interpreted as a statement, as an attempt at emancipation? So what if it wasn’t about survival back then, but rather about a 26-year-old woman seeing no other way to break free from an identity imposed by others and constructed for her?
In *It’s Britney, Bitch!*, director Lena Brasch and actress Sina Martens explore the story of Britney Spears’s success and life, as well as her impact as a pop icon. In addition to Lena Brasch, authors Laura Dabelstein, Miriam Davoudvandi, and Fikri Anıl Altıntaş have written texts for the project. Together with additional texts and the music of Friederike Bernhardt, a mosaic-like musical-narrative evening has emerged. An evening about unhappy love and dependency, about truth and authenticity in pop, about women on stage, about fathers and daughters, and about the Britney in all of us. It’s Britney, Bitch! is a declaration of love to a woman who is more than just a cheerful major chord in the history of pop.• Lena Brasch and Karolin Trachte
With texts by Laura Dabelstein, Miriam Davoudvandi, Fikri Anıl Altıntaş, and Lena Brasch
With the kind support of the Friends of the Berliner Ensemble.
When Britney Spears took the stage shortly before the turn of the millennium, she was considered the epitome of innocence turned pop star: beautiful, princess-like, harmless. The Mickey Mouse Club, Justin Timberlake, schoolgirl uniform, eventually red latex, gold records, a Grammy, marriage. But then: February 6, 2007. Britney Spears publicly shaves her head. “Breakdown,” “crash,” “the end”—that’s what the media called it.
The outburst resulted in her being placed under her father’s guardianship and absolute control for 13 years. Britney Spears’ attempt to break free was decided and portrayed by the press and the public—thirsty for sensation and suffering—as an inevitable conclusion. But what if it wasn’t? What if this act wasn’t a momentary lapse, a cry for help, or a psychological low point? Why was this moment never interpreted as a statement, as an attempt at emancipation? So what if it wasn’t about survival back then, but rather about a 26-year-old woman seeing no other way to break free from an identity imposed by others and constructed for her?
In *It’s Britney, Bitch!*, director Lena Brasch and actress Sina Martens explore the story of Britney Spears’s success and life, as well as her impact as a pop icon. In addition to Lena Brasch, authors Laura Dabelstein, Miriam Davoudvandi, and Fikri Anıl Altıntaş have written texts for the project. Together with additional texts and the music of Friederike Bernhardt, a mosaic-like musical-narrative evening has emerged. An evening about unhappy love and dependency, about truth and authenticity in pop, about women on stage, about fathers and daughters, and about the Britney in all of us. It’s Britney, Bitch! is a declaration of love to a woman who is more than just a cheerful major chord in the history of pop.• Lena Brasch and Karolin Trachte
With texts by Laura Dabelstein, Miriam Davoudvandi, Fikri Anıl Altıntaş, and Lena Brasch
- WITH Sina Martens
- DIRECTOR Lena Brasch
- SET DESIGN Janina Kuhlmann
- MUSIC Friederike Bernhardt
- LIGHTING Maria Bergner
- DRAMATURGY Karolin Trachte
- The costumes were developed as a team.
With the kind support of the Friends of the Berliner Ensemble.
Participating artists
von Lena Brasch und Sina Martens (Autor/in)
Sina Martens
Lena Brasch
Janina Kuhlmann
Friederike Bernhardt
Karolin Trachte
Dates
April 2026
| Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
| ||
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
30
|
