Open Border Ensemble

In autumn 2015 the Munich Kammerspiele organised the “Open Border Congress” and started a model project which converted the theatre into a “Welcome Theatre”. During the course of an entire season, the theatre addressed the topics of escape, arrival and the “welcome culture” at the personnel, organisational and artistic levels. In its new follow-up project “Open Border Ensemble”, the Munich Kammerspiele wishes to explore these migration-related themes in more detail and continue the “conversion” process of the theatre. Following an open call for proposals, six artists of immigrant descent will be invited to participate in the Open Border Ensemble. Together with the Lebanese director Rabih Mroué, they will develop a play on the history of Syria and the rise of the Assad regime. The artists of the Open Border Ensemble will also be integrated into the artistic concept of the already established “Welcome Café” at the Kammerspiele. The basic idea of the project is to encourage the theatre to regard integration of these artists as an aesthetically progressive endeavour, in which both sides benefit from one another. In the 2017/2018 season, the Open Border Ensemble will independently develop artistic productions, while efforts continue to further involve and integrate the ensemble into the operative structure of the theatre. The long-term aim is to establish the Open Border Ensemble as an integral part of the regular acting ensemble of the Munich Kammerspiele.

Dramaturgy: Rania Mleihi (SY)
Stage direction: Rabih Mroué (LB), Lola Arias (AR), Jessica Glause

Dates and Venues:

• Welcome Café Munich, Kammer 2, Munich: 23 Jan. 2017, 20 Feb. 2017, 20 Mar. 2017, one performance in April, May and June 2017
• Mroué project Munich, Kammer 3, Munich: spring 2017
• Glause project Munich: 2017/18 season
• Arias project Munich: 2017/18 season