Press-release. Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater together with tjg. Theater Junge Generation (Dresden)presents Russian-German production for the very little spectators «…and all the stars above us…».

Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater together with tjg. Theater Junge Generation (Dresden)presents Russian-German production for the very little spectators «…and all the stars above us…» opening nights will take place on the 1st and 2nd of June at 13.00 on the Small Stage of the new theater’s building (74 Chapaeva st.)

The project is funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation/ Wanderlust Fund

Evening. Are we tired or not -
It’s time to get to bed
Today we played with friends a lot
Alone we go ahead.

Rustle. We don’t understand:
Who’s there? Silent is the Night.
Shadows now begin to dance
And moon casts out its light

Step. And now our courage lost
For feet is touching dark,
We wonder what the Night can host,
Silence lures with sparks.

Step again. Our struggle dims,
The Night is here and thus
We are watching our dreams
And all the stars above us…

Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theater in 2010-2013 is holding a joint project together with Dresden tjg.Theater Junge Generation as part of the cultural exchange between the cities of Saratov and Dresden.

As part of the project dedicated for the theater for the very little spectators exchange tours, master-classes and laboratories were held with the participation of the Saratov and Dresden theaters’ actors, the focus of the project research is the perception of art by the little children. In conclusion the production for the little spectators will appear in both theaters’ repertoires. The goal of the collaboration of our theaters is to the development of a common universal theatre language, type of play and aesthetical work for spectators from two years old. Actors of Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theater with tge performance «A Sprout» for children from 2 to 5 years old 2 visited Dresden and Chemnitz in November 2011. In May-June 2011 tjg.Theater Junge Generation presented in Saratov and Volgograd performances «Funkeldunkel Lichtgedicht » and « Fingerfühl, Hörehell und Schlauschau». Now the project reached its pinnacle.

On the 1st of June, the International Children’s Day, on the Small Stage of the new theater’s building (74 Chapaeva st.) an opening-night of the Russian version of the Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theater and Dresden tjg.Theater Junge Generation collaborative production will take place. The performance is called “… and all the stars above us…”. In autumn 2012 in Germany an opening-night of the German version of this production and also a mixed performance with actors from Saratov and Dresden will be played. The production is staged by the Russian-German creative team: director – Ania Michaelis, production-designer – Mikhail Gavrushov, video – Andrey Lapshin and Sergey Zemlyanushnov, composer – Bernd Sikora, dramaturg – Dagmar Domrös, educator – Bettina Seiler.

The performance tells the stories of the time between day and night, when we’re not fully awake but not yet asleep, it appeals to the little audience by trying to present them the feelings and mysteries everyone is familiar with – the secrets that twilight holds. The play was developed by Ania Michaelis, Bernd Sikora and theater’s actors under the dramatic advisorship of Dagmar Domrös. This performance is a unique theater experiment that has a lot of music and action and almost no words. It’s a family performance without any age restrictions for children from two years old and their parents.

tjg.Theater Junge Generation, Dresden (Germany)

Founded in 1949 as „Theater für Kinder, Dresden, Deutsche Volksbühne" the tjg. theater junge generation (theatre of young generation - tjg.) is Germany's second oldest and one of the biggest Children and Youth Theatre. Under its roof works an acting ensemble with 18 actors and actresses, four musicians and since 1997, after the fusion with the Puppentheater Dresden seven puppet players in the second section of the tjg. the puppet theatre. In 1950 the theatre moved into the former ballroom „Constantia" in the western part of the city, close the Elbe river banks. Right there the acting ensemble works and plays on three stages, one big hall and two studio stages. Those stages offer space for about 650 spectators. Performances of the Puppentheater take place in the city's centre. The studio theatre on Prager Straße comes along with a capacity of 100 seats. In the repertoire of tjg.theater junge generation one can find fairytales, classics, contemporary literature and since 2008 the so called „Theater für die Allerkleinsten" (theatre for the very young), coming up with performances for children from 2 years of age. Every year about 90 000 visitors of different age find their way into one or more of the about 650 performances of 30 stagings plus about 20 premiers per season. With the beginning of the season 2008/09 the Theatre Academy (tjg. theaterakademie) was founded. It's a conceptional development out of the department of theatre education at the tjg, created for new requirements regarding practical experience. A central aspect is intensified participation - the Theatre Academy is a modern offer to play for kids, teenagers and young adults - but most of all - to play WITH them, to let them become an active part in every stage of the creative process of an staging. Since the beginning of the Nineties the tjg. theater junge generation performs on several open air stages during summer time all over the city, ranging from a stage inside the city's castle to a zoo stage and one in the park.

Production creative team:

Ania Michaelis (Artistic Director, Director)
Ania conceives and develops independent theatre productions and directs at well-known city and state theatres staging productions for adults and children. Since the season of 2011/2012 she is director of tjg.Theater Junge Generation in Dresden. Since the season of 2010/2011 she is Artistic Director of Theater o.N., Berlin. Ania Michaelis is working in various constellations and functions as inventor and conceptioner, artistic director, director and actress. After studying at the acting school „Totales Theater“ in Switzerland she worked in Berlin, Cologne, Castrop-Rauxel and also in other places like the World Exhibition in Sevilla 1992. Her performances were presented internationally in Belgium, Luxemburg, Liechtenstein, Russia, Finnland, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Romania, Great Britain, Italy. Productions staged by Ania Michaelis were nominated on various theater awards, won prizes and participated in many theater festivals.

Mikhail Gavrushov (Production-designer, Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theater)
Designer, artist, theater production-designer. Mikhail took part in the exhibitions of the Yellow Mountain association and theater poster exhibitions in Moscow; his works are held in the private collections in Germany, Austria and Russia. His installations were presented in Moscow, Saratov, Yaroslavl, Engels. As a production-designer staged more then 20 performances in Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater, Saratov Slonov Drama Theater, Saratov Puppet Theater Teremok, Donetsk Drama Theater, worked with Moscow Mayakovsky Theater. His design of the performance “A Midsummer Night's Dream” in Saratov Puppet Theater in 2007 was awarded with the Golden Harlequin prize for the “original concept of scenic design”.

Bernd Sikora (Composer, Musician)
Graduated from the "Carl Maria von Weber" College of Music in Dresden. He is a drummer and a percussionist, composes music for radio, TV and sport events. Since 1994 is working in the tjg.Theater Junge Generation. During that time he participated in 50 productions with many of them he visited international theater festivals, was nominated on the FAUST theater award.

Dagmar Domrös (Dramaturg)
Studied political science, German Studies and American Studies in Hamburg and Massachusetts after training as a publishing assistant at the firm Gruner + Jahr. She worked as the assistant to Wynn Handman, Artistic Director of the American Place Theatre in New York City during the 1997/1998 season. She worked as a dramaturg at Theater Heidelberg from 2001 to 2005, where she also curated the ”Heidelberger Stückemarkt – Forum junger Autoren” (Heidelberg New Play Festival). Domrös has worked as a dramaturg for German Theater Abroad in Berlin and New York from 2005 to 2008 and realized several transatlantic theater projects. Since 2009 she is dramaturg of the Theater o.N. in Berlin, where she has worked on several productions for the very small, such as „Kokon“ (2010) directed by Ania Michaelis or „Kling, kleines Ding*“ (2011) directed by Bernd Sikora.

Bettina Seiler (Educator)
Educator at tjg.Theater Junge Generation. Bettina studied Germanic and Slavic philology at university. She worked as a theater educator in Dresden and Magdeburg. Bettina Seiler took part in the project «Theater from the very beginning!» (2006-2008 гг.) that was held throughout Germany. Since then she together with tjg.theater is working with various nursery schools in Dresden focusing her attention on the early development of esthetical perception of art. Bettina Seiler participated in the creation of the first theater-educational game-event «Game-Time-World», the premiere took place in 2010 in tjg.theater. Together with one of the actors of the puppet theater she is researching the perception patterns and game preferences of the children from 2 to 3 years old in social context of nursery schools. Bettina Seiler conducts various seminars and advanced training events on the topic of «Theater for the very young» in Germany and abroad.

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