tjg. theater junge generation (Dresden, Germany) presents the puppet performance of the play by Christopher Marlowe «The History of Doctor Faust» on the 19th and 20th of April 2013 on the Small stage of Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater.

The project is held by Goethe-Institute and Kiselev Youth Theater
in cooperation with the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
The Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations
and with support of the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce
in frames of the Year of Germany in Russia in 2012/2013.

In spring 2013 Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater welcomes once again its colleagues and friends from Germany, Dresden — tjg. theater junge generation. On the 19th of April at 18-00 and on the 20th of April at 13-00 they will present on the Small stage of the theater their puppet performance for children over 12 years old, staged in coproduction with «Schauspiel Frankfurt»: «The History of Doctor Faust» on the play by Christopher Marlowe.

Director: Moritz Sostmann
Production-designer: Christian Beck
Composer: Philipp Plessmann
Actors: Ivana Sajevic, Christian Pfutze, Uwe Steinbach, Philipp Plessmann
Duration — 1 hour 40 min

Christopher Marlowe was an English poet of the Elizabethan era, playwright-reformer, predecessor and contemporary of Shakespeare; he was the first to dramatize the German legend about Faust. His story returned to Germany as a puppetry performance often presented on the fairs in the booth theaters. That’s how from a drama it became a performance for young audience.

Doctor Faust has studied a lot and so he is smarter than most people. But still he is not satisfied; he wants to solve the secret of creation, find answers to the earth-shattering questions. Isn’t it wonderful and noble to have high demands to oneself? Not to doctor Faust! He wants treasures, power and fame! But everything has its price and dark forces he made a deal with stated the following conditions: for whole 24 years he will be able to make any transformations, using magic he can laugh at all authorities. But his soul will belong to the Devil. Doctor Faust with pleasure lost himself in his new life, turning the world upside down. But sometimes he began to doubt the rightness of his choice… After all, 24 years are not eternity!

«The History of Doctor Faust» will be the third production of tjg. theater junge generation presented in Saratov. This theater from Dresden is well-known even to the very young Saratov theater-goers. For three years Saratov and Dresden colleagues explored the topic of theater for the very young, went on exchange tours and participated in the workshops. In May-June 2011 tjg. theater junge generation presented in Saratov and Volgograd performances «Funkeldunkel Lichtgedicht » and « Fingerfühl, Hörehell und Schlauschau» for the youngest audience.

On the 1st of June 2012 an opening-night of the Russian version of the Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theater and Dresden tjg. theater junge generation collaborative production “… and all the stars above us…” took place. The production was 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. 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 were played. The performanсe “… and all the stars above us…” has been invited with a mixed cast to several festivals, the first tour was in January 2013 in Offenburg and Strasbourg.

The tjg. theater junge generation operates on three levels, i.e. tjg. acting, tjg. puppet theatre, and tjg. theatre academy. The city of Dresden's puppet theatre amalgamated with the tjg. in 1997, and is celebrating its 60th birthday in 2012. The tjg. theatre academy was founded in 2008, and it functions as a research laboratory for theatre educators, as an experimental workshop for children and youths interested in theatre, and as a further education centre for teachers and kindergarten teachers.

The theater presents over 600 performances every year, making it one of the largest children's and young people’s theatres in Germany. The tjg. presents performances for children, youths, and families on three different stages: at tjg. meissner landstrasse, at the puppet theatre at the Rundkino cinema, and at the summer stages in Dresden's zoo and the park Grosser Garten. The performances are enjoyed by nearly 86.000 viewers each season, making it one of the largest children's and young people’s theatres in Germany. Indeed, since its founding in 1949, it's impossible to imagine life in the city of Dresden without it as a part of the local cultural scene.

The broad assortment offered by its various branches enables the theatre to integrate current trends into its own productions in a contemporary way, and the exchange and cooperation that takes place between different cultural organisations and institutions and artists active outside of children's and youth theatre also play an important role. Since 2008, the general and artistic director of the tjg. has been Felicitas Loewe, and since 2011, Ania Michaelis has been involved as the artistic director of the tjg. acting and tjg. puppet theatre areas.

New visit of the German friends to Saratov was made possible thanks to the help of Goethe Institute and is held in frames of the Year of Germany in Russia in 2012/2013, which motto is close to both theater’s programs — «German and Russia: building the future together».