An itch scratches itself up against a tree. It is transformed into a bear who soon finds himself surrounded by a wondrous forest. He sets off on a journey to find out who he is. Along the way, he meets all kinds of new friends who help him keep “straight on” until he arrives at the hut where he lives. “I had a feeling I might be me all along”, the bear remarks to himself. Told with playful ease, “Der Bär, der nicht da war” (“The Bear Who Wasn’t There”) is an enchanting story about finding yourself, joie de vivre and the courage to embark on a quest for identity.
Selection committee statement excerpt:
“Who determines who we are – whether in theatre or in real life? A play about self-empowerment and courage as well as about how sometimes a kind look from the outside is the best way to a happy ending.”
No fourth wall anywhere. The playing area is an elongated strip between two stands. The performers are right in the middle of it and don’t even pretend not to know it. In the course of the play, they repeatedly get the audience involved, asking: what do you see? What do you think? What could happen next? And they listen and talk to their audience, which can sometimes take longer. But don’t audience views and reactions also play a role in determining what happens on stage? If a scratch can become a bear, if a piece of wood can turn into a forest, if any of us could be the bear, then it’s time for theatrical mechanisms to be revealed and let everyone in the room be an active participant. And yet we still follow the story of this bear, who wants to know who he really is and why he is there in the first place, with interest and joy and are drawn into the action. The bear is quite a nice fellow, as it turns out, just like the lovably wacky characters he meets. Who determines who we are – whether in theatre or in real life? A play about self-empowerment and courage as well as about how sometimes a kind look from the outside is the best way to a happy ending.
Since its foundation in 1975, Schlosstheater Moers has stood for socially critical and experimental theatre. By cooperating with various social institutions and artistic initiatives and by performing in unusual places, the theatre seeks to remain close to the social life of the city and its citizens. In the process, it playfully explores the fine line between fiction and reality time and again.
Accessible to
public | 5+
Venue
Theaterrevier
Duration
55 Min.
Theatre
Schlosstheater Moers
www.schlosstheater-moers.de
Production
Schlosstheater Moers
Based on the storybook of the same name by Oren Lavie
Directed & adapted by: Andreas Mihan
With: Georg Grohmann, Matthias Heße, Emily Klinge
Scenery & costumes: J. F. Schmidt-Colinet
Sound: Peter Breitenbach
Dramaturgy & adaptation: Viola Köster
Theatre education: Emma Kaufmann
Assistant director: Kilian Seeger/Victoria Wehrmann
Performing rights: schaefersphilippen, Theater und Medien GbR
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Artistic direction, staging & performance: Clara Gohmert
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