Theater Dionysos: Productions 2006-2025
Paths through the Labyrinth – The new senior citizens’ theatre club at Marl Theatre
‘Whether seventy or seventeen, in every human heart there is a longing for the marvellous.’ (Konrad Pfaff)
What do we actually know about old people – their dreams, their longings, their loneliness, their strength? What wisdom do they possess, having survived two world wars and a long, eventful life? What are their very personal answers to the questions about the meaning of life? We need more children in Germany, we hear, because children are the future… And the elderly…? What do we need them for…? We suspect there are treasures to be unearthed there. Inner views, perspectives far beyond the commonplace – that is the goal of our first theatre project: “Wege durchs Labyrinth” (Paths through the Labyrinth) presents a portrait of a generation. Biographical experiences meet literary texts…
Director: Lutz Pickardt
Actors: Ursula Kortemme, Gloria Sommer, Hartmut Preukschat, Anneliese Klaas, Gudrun Ruppel, Hildegard Schero, Brigitta Schröder, Felix Schwartz, Harry Swiderek, Anke Szabo
Organiser: Theater Marl in cooperation with the Protestant Adult Education Centre Westfalen-Lippe e.V. and the adult education centre “Die Insel”
Blossoms in the Moor of Oblivion – Theatre Dionysos presents its second production
Jutta is 65 and has just finished her last day at work: at the tax office, a stressful job. She has worked for over 40 years, day after day, year after year. She raised children, took care of her family and always thought of others. But now that’s finally over! Sleeping longer, travelling wherever she wants, spending lots of time with her loved ones or taking up new hobbies… life will be so wonderful! But soon the doubts set in… Will she really be able to cope with growing old and older…? What to do with all the time? And what if her strength starts to fade…? Jutta’s story is just a hook for a topic that will concern us all sooner or later: What is old age…? Does it have any meaning? How should we live it?
Society sees it primarily as a problem to be solved: because pensions and the treatment of age-related diseases are becoming unaffordable. Young people are needed, but old people are too much. “Anti-ageing” seems to be the logical answer. Wouldn’t it be great if we could simply abolish old age! Staying forever young until the end of our days. But is that really desirable? A life without finiteness? And what has become of the elders, whom traditional societies have valued for centuries? People who have found their heart’s content, who have experienced a great deal and thus gained a certain perspective…? Following the successful debut of “Wege durchs Labyrinth” (Paths through the Labyrinth), the seniors at Theater Marl are now presenting their second production. In search of “Blossoms in the Moor of Oblivion”, they once again delved deep, searching for possible meanings of ageing and the elderly in our society… and developed a play that is sure to be very exciting.
Artistic director: Lutz Pickardt – Assistant: Sascha Kubiak, Diana Boronyak
Actors: Urmina Kortemme, Gloria Sommer, Hartmut Preukschat, Anneliese Klass, Gudrun Ruppel, Hildegard Schero, Brigitta Schröder, Felix Schwartz, Peter Mürmann
Organisation: Marl Theatre in cooperation with the adult education centre “die insel”
Time(s) of change – Theatre Dionysos presents its third production
‘Time is life, and life dwells in the heart. The more people save it, the more alien they become to themselves.’ (from “Momo” by Michael Ende)
Our times have become faster, the pace is increasing, and so we rush through life. We have no time. Day after day, month after month, throughout our lives. We have no time. There is a time to be born, a time to die, a time to plant, a time to uproot what has been planted… so it is written in the Bible. What actually is time? Does it have a beginning? An end? Does it really exist – or is it just a feeling? When we are having fun, it flies by. When we are concentrating, we quickly forget about it. When we are waiting for someone, it seems endless…
Theatre Dionysos has played with time, experimented, improvised and staged: with their own experiences, poems and stories, with monologues, dialogues, dance and movement theatre. Following the successful productions ‘Wege durchs Labyrinth’ (Paths through the Labyrinth, 2006/07) and ‘Blüten im Moor des Vergessens’ (Blossoms in the Moor of Oblivion, 2008), the senior citizens at Theater Marl are now presenting their next play: we can look forward to it with anticipation.
Actors: Cosy Ernst, Ingeborg Gartmann, Maria Höning, Anneliese Klass, Urmina Kortemme, Hartmut Preukschat, Gudrun Ruppel, Hildegard Schero, Brigitta Schröder, Gloria Sommer, Rolf Urban, Hanspeter Zingel, Ingrid Jedych
Artistic director: Lutz Pickardt (www.lutz-pickardt.de)
Assistant: Merima Horozovic
Organisation: Theater Marl in cooperation with VHS “die insel”
The Seven Deadly Sins – Theatre Dionysos presents its fourth production
Lust, wrath, envy, gluttony, pride, sloth and greed: human weaknesses that the Church branded as deadly sins as early as the Middle Ages. Generations of believers were instilled with feelings of guilt, and the fear of eternal damnation guaranteed obedience and submission.
Times have changed. Today, “sin” is considered a dirty word and morality an instrument of power. “Freedom” and “individuality” have been the magic words since the Enlightenment. But the departure from traditional values has also left a great void… How do we want to live? What is the future of our society? Theater Dionysos has explored these questions. Theater Dionysos consists of 13 agile seniors at Theater Marl. Anyone familiar with the group knows to expect something special: exciting movement theatre that is not only entertaining but also thought-provoking.
Actors: Cosy Ernst, Jutta Bellstedt-Prophet, Ingeborg Gartmann, Maria Höning, Nicola Friedrich, Bernd Nowicki, Anneliese Klass, Hartmut Preukschat, Gudrun Ruppel, Gloria Sommer Rolf Urban
Artistic director: Lutz Pickardt
Assistant: Deniz Sahin
Organisation: Theater Marl in cooperation with VHS “die insel” (in Recklinghausen: Institute for Cultural Work and Senior Citizens’ Advisory Council)
Theatre Dionysos performs: The Bandits
(loosely based on Friedrich Schiller)
“… The theatre resembled a madhouse, with rolling eyes, clenched fists and hoarse cries in the auditorium. Strangers fell into each other’s arms sobbing, women staggered towards the door, close to fainting. It was a general dissolution, like chaos, from whose mists a new creation emerges …” [Eyewitness account of the premiere in 1782]
Could a play be more exciting or more topical than Schiller’s “The Robbers”? Idealism and thirst for freedom, protests against authority, intoxication with violence, loyalty and betrayal, love and guilt are the ingredients that still captivate audiences young and old in the most spectacular play of the Sturm und Drang era. Performed by senior citizens from the Marl Theatre. Seniors…? That’s right! Theater Dionysos is the name of the group of 10 sprightly seniors who are now presenting their fifth play and have provided a surprise every time. Make a note of the date – it’s worth it!
Cast: Ingeborg Gartmann, Bernd Nowicki, Georg Krebs, Martine Anuta, Nicola Friedrich, Gudrun Ruppel, Hildegard Schero, Rolf Urban, Brigitta Schröder, Jutta Bellstedt-Prophet
Adaptation and direction: Lutz Pickardt
Organisation: Theater Marl in cooperation with the adult education centre “die insel”
Traumwelten … Metamorphosen – Theater Dionysos zeigt seine sechste Produktion
Manche Menschen denken bereits ab ihrem fünfzigsten Lebensjahr an nichts anderes als an ihren körperlichen Verfall. Die Augen werden schwächer, der Rücken schmerzt und die Haut verliert an Spannkraft. Was früher leichtfiel, ist heute eine Qual, vielleicht sogar unmöglich. Krankheiten werden mehr und mehr zum Gesprächsthema. Und die Vergangenheit? ‚Man müsste noch mal 20 sein‘ sagen viele und träumen sich zurück in alte Zeiten. Zeiten, in denen sie sich stark fühlten, fit, gesund, zu allem bereit und voller Zuversicht. Auch wenn dies gar nicht der Fall war und die Jugend voller Probleme, hat der Traum, die Romantisierung des Jungseins doch einen gewaltigen Reiz: Sie hilft uns zu entfliehen vor der Tatsache, dass wir altern und dass wir sterblich sind. Alle.
Unser Körper wird älter, das ist eine Tatsache. Sterben müssen wir alle, ohne Ausnahme, ob reich, ob arm, gesund oder krank. Das Nachlassen der Körperkräfte erinnert an den Tod, der uns alle ereilt und vor dem viele von uns höllische Angst haben.
Dennoch … wenn die Kräfte schwinden, ist noch lange nicht Schluss. Eine Verwandlung findet statt, der Schwerpunkt des Lebens verschiebt sich vom Körper in den Geist.
Manche Menschen werden nachdenklich, wenn sie alt werden, ziehen Bilanz über ihr bisheriges Leben, denken an den Tod oder das Leben danach. Andere leben nur noch in ihrer Vergangenheit, träumen von alten Zeiten. Wieder andere malen, schreiben Gedichte, gewinnen späte Einsichten. Nicht wenige werden aber auch dement und leben in einer Parallelwelt voller Diebe, Geheimagenten, gestorbener Verwandter, Engel oder Teufel. Leben von Moment zu Moment. Was gerade noch war, ist schon vergessen. Dass Menschen mit Demenz per se unglücklich sind, ist eine Behauptung der Jüngeren, die sich nicht vorstellen können (oder wollen), so zu sein.
Traumwelten, Geistwelten, Phantasien des Alters, all das was im Kopf und in der Seele geschieht wenn der Körper nachlässt ist das neue Thema der Spieler/innen des Theater Dionysos. 8 Monate lang hat die Gruppe der 10 Senior/innen um Regisseur Lutz Pickardt dazu geforscht, gespielt, improvisiert. Nun gibt sie in ihrer sechsten Produktion den „Traumwelten“ und „Metamorphosen“ Gestalt, mit Schauspiel, Tanz und Bewegungstheater, mal lustig, mal erschreckend, mal nachdenklich oder unterhaltsam. Auf jeden Fall ein großes Abenteuer, das man sich auf keinen Fall entgehen lassen sollte.
Spieler/innen: Martine Anuta, Rolf Urban, Bernd Nowicki, Hartmut Preukschat, Cosy Ernst, Brigitta Schröder, Maria Höning, Hildegard Schero, Nicola Friedrich, Iris Land und Georg Krebs
Künstlerische Leitung: Lutz Pickardt
Assistenz: Rita Nagy
Organisation: Theater Marl in Kooperation mit der VHS ‚die insel’
Theatre Dionysos presents: The Nature of Evil
It is omnipresent, hanging over us like a dark cloud as soon as we turn on the news or open the newspaper: evil. It changes our everyday lives, our attitude towards life, our view of the world. Sometimes we seem to be at its mercy, unable to do much about it. But is that really the whole truth? Are we seeing things as they are? How can we live, love and laugh without closing our eyes to reality? Theatre Dionysos, formerly a senior theatre group, is now
intergenerational with performers aged 45 to 79. It has been an integral part of the Marl Theatre since 2006 in cooperation with the adult education centre “Die Insel”.
Actors: Hildegard Schero, Hartmut Preukschat, Sigrid Pinnow, Ingrid Pusch, Brigitta Schröder, Bernd Nowicki, Georg Krebs, Nicola Friedrich, Iris Land, Martine Anuta, Cosy Ernst, Annette Schillert
Director: Lutz Pickardt – Assistant: Maria Horn
‘The chance of a lifetime’ – Theatre Dionysos presents its eighth production
Who will save the million? Has the Bachelorette really fallen in love with Marvin, or is it all just an act? What is the ‘carpet slut’ doing in the jungle camp?
Questions upon questions that the somewhat simple-minded Maria, who watches telly from morning till night, racks her brains over. Woe betide her if she misses an episode of “Wife Swap”! And she’s not alone in this; her friend Jacqueline doesn’t seem to have any more important problems either, and the neighbourhood is buzzing with discussion about Dieter Bohlen’s new flame. The film shows a beautiful, simple world in a suburb somewhere in the Ruhr area. Life plods along until suddenly and unexpectedly an opportunity arises that no one wants to miss. Actors are being sought for a new series in dreamy Dubai: money, fame and a life in paradise seem within reach. Carpe diem! Everyone wants to be there! And acting can’t be that difficult! No matter what it costs, whether you bend over backwards until your spine breaks, cheat on your wife or your best friends end up hating you – it’s worth it. Or is it…?
In the pursuit of success and recognition, emotional abysses are revealed that no one would have thought possible before. ‘Die Chance deines Lebens’ (The Chance of a Lifetime) is a bitterly evil satire, inspired by Goldoni’s ‘Impressario von Smyrna’ and therefore comes across like a docu-soap – but acts as a mirror for our fun-loving society.
Theater Dionysos, formerly a senior theatre group, is now intergenerational with actors aged 45 to 79. It has been an integral part of the Marl Theatre in cooperation with the VHS “Die Insel” since 2006.
Organisation: Theater Marl, vhs Marl – die insel
Actors: Hartmut Preukschat, Sigrid Pinnow, Brigitta Schröder, Bernd Nowicki, Martine Anuta, Cosy Ernst, Annette Schillert, Erika Weise, Manuela Aufderheide
Director: Lutz Pickardt – Assistant: Sascha Kubiak
Theatre Dionysos presents: Mr. Biedermann and his beautiful world
Self-driving cars, smartwatches keeping you on your toes, the internet choosing your partner and career for you: what a brave new world! Technical progress is glorified as a religion, computers help with constant self-optimisation. How wonderful that you hardly have to make any decisions yourself anymore.
Mr Biedermann is certainly enthusiastic, and his family is following suit. Inspired by Max Frisch and Aldous Huxley, Theater Dionysos presents a strange mixture of satire and science fiction, humour and profundity. A play set in the not-too-distant future that simply takes social developments to their logical conclusion. It’s clear that the whole thing will eventually end in disaster. Can it still be averted? Anyone familiar with the group knows to expect the unexpected.
Director Lutz Pickardt
Actors Martine Anuta, Bernd Nowicki, Brigitta Schröder, Adelheid Noelte, Sigrid Pinnow, Georg Krebs, Manuela Aufderheide, Cosy Ernst, Regine Kollecker, Erika Weise and Annette Schillert
Organisation Theater Marl and Theater Dionysos
Only love is stronger than death – intergenerational theatre and dance performance
Love is a strange thing: sometimes it seems like a flash in the pan, disappearing just as quickly as it came. Then again, it can run so deep that it completely changes you and makes you question everything. Some love lasts a lifetime, even beyond death.
Death… it is the other mystery that has moved people since time immemorial. No one knows exactly what it actually is. Who could ever report on it from their own experience? On the other hand, there are many deaths even while we are alive – things come, things exist, things pass away. What is the connection between love and death? …
The performance is an exciting dance and movement theatre piece that really makes you think.
Performers: 6 performers from the ‘Theater Dionysos’ group and 5 students from the Willy Brandt Comprehensive School
Organisation: Theater Dionysos, Theater Marl, Willy Brandt Comprehensive School, Lutz Pickardt
Artistic direction: Lutz Pickardt – Choreography and assistance: Erika Knauer
Theater Dionysos presents: interstitial spaces
‘Follow your heart as long as you live…’ (from the Egyptian Book of the Dead)
Sometimes it happens faster than you think: a job you thought was secure is lost, a relationship ends, someone important to you dies suddenly and unexpectedly. What happens next? Do you say goodbye first, perhaps mourn, or immediately throw yourself into new adventures? Everyone is different. It often takes quite a while before we know how we want to reorient ourselves, and a SPACE emerges: an intermediate space between what was and what (perhaps) will come. It is a place of not knowing, sometimes of boredom, fear, excitement and uncertainty, but also a place of possibilities and new opportunities. A place that sometimes seems meaningless but can make a lot of sense. The group has ‘explored’ this space and put it at stake…
Actors: Monika Düvel, Petra Urban, Susanne Meyer, Hartmut Preukschat, Martine Anuta, Erika Weise, Max Kolze, Jürgen Postert, Nicola Friedrich
Play development and direction: Lutz Pickardt – Assistant: Melanie Drüke
Theater Dionysos is now part of the Bürgerbühne am Theater Marl
Concerned citizens, or: How do we get the elephant out of the room?
‘We are the people,’ the movement “Pegida” (=Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West) have been chanting at their demonstrations for years, warning against the foreign infiltration of our country. The mood has been heated since 2015 at the latest. But the counter-movement has also grown stronger, taking to the streets and chanting ‘we are many’. A rift runs through our society. In school classrooms, families, workplaces, everywhere, bitter arguments are being fought, and hardly anyone is listening anymore. It’s about migration, climate change, ecology and the future of our planet. What is happening to us right now? Are we asking the right questions? What is really important, what are our goals and visions for ourselves and our society? Who are we and where do we want to go? Theatre Dionysos has explored these questions with sincerity, humour and passion. The result is an exciting movement theatre that is not only entertaining but also very thought-provoking.
Actors Hartmut Preukschat, Susanne Urmetz, Jutta Brückner, Erika Weise, Martine Anuta, Max Kolze and Petra Urban
Play development and direction Lutz Pickardt – Assistant Melanie Drüke
Organisation Theater Marl
Theatre Dionysos presents: The Fisherman and His Wife
A fisherman who lives with his wife in a simple hut catches a flounder in the sea, which begs for its life as an enchanted prince; the fisherman sets it free. When the fisherman’s wife hears this, she asks him if he did not ask the fish for anything in exchange for its freedom. She urges her husband to call the flounder again so that she can ask for a small house. The magical fish grants her wish. But soon she is no longer satisfied. She wants more, more and more… and the story takes its course.
What is human nature? What is our relationship to ‘creation’? Can we step out of the ‘false life’ and simply be happy, as individuals, as a group or as a society? These are questions that Theater Dionysos has put into play.
Actors: Martine Anuta, Jutta Brückner, Anita Kolb, Max Kolze, Hartmut Preukschat, Irmtraud Schlinghoff, Susanne Urmetz, Erika Weise, Renate Wilhelm
Theater Dionysos presents: OH.MY.GOD… Make LOVE not FEAR
Fear and worry dominate public discourse. For almost two years now, the pandemic has kept people on tenterhooks, and now there is war too. Before that, it was climate change, the refugee crisis, poverty among the elderly, etc. Many people feel as if they are in constant danger. But where is the pause button? Are we still allowed to be happy, to experience joy, without closing our eyes? What gives us meaning, how do we find peace, how do we find our way back to ourselves?
The Dionysos Theatre has explored these questions with sincerity, humour and passion. The result is an exciting movement theatre that is not only entertaining but also very thought-provoking.
Actors Martine Anuta, Melanie Kern, Anita Kolb, Max Kolze, Irmtraud Schlinghoff, Bernd Voigt, Erika Weise
Assistance Clarissa Frings
Art Director Lutz Pickardt
Organisation Theater Marl
Theatre Dionysos presents: LIGHT – a multimedia theatre spectacle about angels
We live in a time of darkness. Environmental crises, refugee crises, energy crises, war and inflation cloud our vision. We need light, hope, love and tenderness. Perhaps also spirituality, faith, or simply… angels? ‘How corny!’ some will say. But aren’t other people like angels to us when they suddenly appear, stand by us, sometimes surprisingly and unexpectedly? And the clouds disperse and we can see the magic again, the great wonder that has always been there? ‘Light’ is the absence of darkness – and one cannot be imagined without the other. Life is a mystery. Traces that the Dionysos Theatre has followed this year in improvisations, conversations and theatrical experiments, full of questions, joy and childlike curiosity. The result is a movement theatre with heart and depth.
Actors: Susanne Urmetz, Martin Schröder, Martine Anuta, Anita Kolb, Jutta Brückner, Max Kolze, Jennifer Taugs, Melanie Kern and Irmtraud Schlinghoff
Artistic direction: Lutz Pickardt, www.lutz-pickardt.de
Organisation: Theater Marl
Theatre Dionysos presents: Orpheus and Eurydice
It is one of the most famous love stories of antiquity: Orpheus, the gifted singer and musician, enchants not only humans and animals, but even trees and stones with his voice. Everyone is captivated by him and wants to be close to him. When he meets the nymph Eurydice, it is love at first sight and the two soon decide to marry. Everything could be so wonderful, if it weren’t for the jealous shepherd Aristaeus, who stalks them and wants to kill Orpheus. The lovers flee, Eurydice dies and Orpheus is distraught. A deep sadness overwhelms him until he decides to descend into the underworld to bring his beloved back… but how is that possible? The adventure begins. This mysterious story forms the basis of the new production by Theater Dionysos. What is the story behind this story?
What does Eurydice represent? Is it perhaps our soul…? Can we lose it? And if so, how can we win it back? Look forward to an entertaining and profound movement theatre performance that is not only fun but also thought-provoking.
Actors: Max Kolze, Melanie Kern, Jutta Brückner, Martin Schröder, Jennifer Taugs, Janina Welp, Hans-Gerd Henke
Director: Lutz Pickardt – Organisation: Theater Marl
Theatre Dionysos presents: IMAGINE. Peace…? Peace.
There is nothing we desire more these days. To relax again, enjoy life, look to the future with confidence and joy. Unthinkable! Many will say, and the reasons for this are well known. On the one hand. On the other hand, has there ever been a time without crises? And what about our responsibility to our children and grandchildren to make them excited about life and their future? How can we change the world for the better? These are big questions that Theatre Dionysos has taken on this year. The result is a movement theatre that is not only entertaining but also aims to give hope.
Actors: Janina Welp, Martine Anuta, Melanie Kern, Jutta Brückner, Martin Schröder, Irmtraud Schlinghoff, Max Kolze, Hans-Gerd Henke
Artistic director: Lutz Pickardt – Organisation: Theater Marl