39th International Pantomime Theatre Festival

8.11.23, 7 pm Opening Gala

Get a taste of the festival program – conveniently in one evening? That’s possible! This year’s grand opening gala will once again reveal the first secrets of what is to be seen on stage. In the joint show with all the ensembles and artists who have arrived, the audience will get a first glimpse of this year’s program.

On this evening, the Domovoi Theatre Company from Switzerland, Teatro Súbito from Mexico, GatoSA from Portugal, Giraffe Royal from Estonia and Arthur und David Adasinskiy from Germany will be on stage. Tickets

9.11.23, 7 pm Bardak with DOMOVOI Theatre Company from Switzerland

A deserted world and a lonely house elf – the perfect mixture for comically absurd clown theater.

Suddenly it disappears – humanity, from one day to the next, as if from the face of the earth. And with it disappears the task of the house goblin. All these years he had taken care of protecting the people in their homes. Now he is faced with a void he does not know. He wanders through the traces of the disappeared. In this strange world, he encounters things that are completely foreign to him, curiosities that make him smile, and many an absurdity that makes him think. As he makes his way, the possibility of bringing back a spark of hope reveals itself to the protagonist. Can he make the impossible possible and awaken the world from its silence? In the one-person play BARDAK by Domovoi Theatre Company from Gordola, Switzerland, this scenario is taken up with a refreshing dose of humor and a hefty pinch of irony. The show, whose name means “chaos” in German, takes a playful look at the existential questions of today in this tragicomedy. Entirely without language, with visual metaphors and poetic gestures. On stage, the play’s actor and author, Igor Mamlenkov, shines in a performance that is second to none. In 2017, Mamlenkov founded the theater company, which is now part of the BLU SELYODKA cultural association. The company collaborates with “Clowns Without Borders” Switzerland, with the organization “Help Ukraine”, as well as with international touring theaters and offers theater workshops for children and adults. Duration: 70 minutes, without intermission Age: suitable from 8 years Tickets

10.11.23, 7 pm Une histoire vraie with GatoSA from Portugal

A true story” – A powerful drama about people who try to find a way out of a hopeless situation. And in the process become strong – or perish.

“A True Story” – Haunting drama about people trying to find a way out of hopeless situation. And in the process become strong – or perish. Pauline returns to the house of her childhood. A nagging question has been with her for years and won’t let her go. With each visit to the places of her memories, the search for answers becomes more urgent. But as she visits these familiar places, she discovers eerie hints concerning her origins. The line between childhood memories and real facts begins to blur. Pauline embarks on a journey to rediscover her life story and deep fears are confirmed. But in the midst of these harrowing revelations, she also stumbles upon a surprising revelation: behind the disturbing image of the couple who raised her lies a veiled, yet deeply moving love story. Pauline finds herself in a whirlpool of emotions as she unravels the threads of her past. Finally, she faces a courageous decision that will affect not only her future, but also her identity. The theater group GatoSA was founded in 1988 in Santo André, Portugal, and has its beginnings in a school there. Today, the group is not only an ambassador for its home region, but has also been touring international stages since 2016. The performance in Dresden presents talented performers such as Mariana Leonardo, Mafalda Marafusta, Tomás Porto, Rogério Bruno, Rui Senos, João Martinho, Maria Helena Rosa and Raul Oliveira. The production deliberately takes elements from the early silent films in some scenes, creating a unique atmosphere on stage. The director of the production is Lionel Ménard. The director and choreographer, who is now in demand worldwide, also worked with Marcel Marceau for ten years. With “Une histoire vraie” he sensitively addresses the topical issue of refugees in times of war. Duration: 90 minutes, without intermission Tickets

11.11.23, 5 pm Historias Secretas with Teatro Súbito from Mexico

Contemporary play in two parts – with screwed-up special agents and a bar singer in distress.

“Historias Secretas – Secret Stories” is composed of two parts: “Misión Secreta”, a pantomimic narrative accompanied by text, and “Boulevard Night”, a play with larval masks. In the first part, the audience is introduced to an adventurous story in which they meet three special agents. These unusual guys are tasked with unraveling the mystery behind the solidified gravity. But the three anti-heroes and supposed experts in safe-cracking, disguise skills and explosives have a rather unconventional approach. The result is a delightfully humorous mess that is guaranteed to bring a smile to the audience. The humor of the second play is more subtle. The performers appear in larval masks that transport the audience into a bizarre yet humorous world. In this story, everything revolves around a bar singer who gives birth to a baby. But circumstances drive her to leave the child at the door of a lonely man. Founded in Mexico City in 1990, the Teatro Súbito ensemble is a professional alternative theater project. Its founder and current director Rafael Degar and lecturer Patricia Vázquez laid the foundation. The ensemble’s plays are based mainly on forms of popular theater that draw on Mexico’s cultural roots. In addition to the performances, Rafael Degar also directs the two-day workshop that precedes the festival each year, offering a creative exchange. Duration: 65 minutes, 10 minutes intermission Tickets

11.11.23, 8 pm Mystery with Giraffe Royal from Estonia

The show takes the audience into a mystical world, playing with elements of mime, dance and clowning.

“Mystery” presents the audience with a moving and deeply spiritual narrative. The piece combines a variety of genres and styles of clowning, mime and dance. This fusion takes the audience on a captivating journey through vivid and dramatic moments of human life and destiny. A wide range of emotions and experiences unfold before the audience’s eyes, inviting them to pause for a moment and reflect on the beauty of the world. The Giraffe Royal theater group was founded in 1986 and consists of a family of three artists. Stanislav Warkki takes on the roles of artist, clown, director and producer. He is originally from Narva. Accompanied by Anna Warkki and Larisa Lebedeva, he conjures up a fascinating performance on stage in which stories merge seamlessly, associations merge, and dream sequences meet myths. The group’s skills include mime, clowning, dance, visual theater and plastic acting. The talented trio is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding artists in the industry worldwide. Duration: 60 minutes, without intermission Tickets

12.11. 23, 6.30 pm Tasty Biscuits with Duo Mimikry from France and Germany

Back by popular demand, Elias Elastisch and Nicolas Rocher return with the latest version of their hit play.

Like a tin of delicious cookies with surprising contents: “Tasty Biscuits” serves up a rich selection of short stories about bizarre characters. There’s the bumbling vampire, a ventriloquist and his crafty puppet, the macabre activities of two profit-hungry morticians, or the relentless truth-telling story about the entertainment industry. Each of these stories is a concise but tasty delicacy in its own right. They blend satire, wordplay and rhythm with black humor and social criticism. The refreshingly innovative storytelling techniques have their roots in comics and film, giving the program a special touch that every audience member is likely to remember. The duo Mimikry serves these tasty morsels. By popular demand, they are back at the festival with their show. Not without reason. When it comes to visual comedy, Elias Elastisch from Germany and Nicolas Rocher from France simply cannot be overlooked. The two are true masters of this art form. Their sets are minimalist: two talented mimes, some costumes and the audience. That’s all they need. Nevertheless, the Berlin artists succeed in redefining the limits of imagination. The result is a mixture of visual comedy, dance, pantomime, satire, acting and clowning – a fascinating interplay that guarantees the best entertainment. Duration: 2 x 45 minutes, with intermission Age: from 8 years Tickets

4. and 5.11.23, 10am – 3pm Workshop with Rafael Degar und Patricia Vázquez from Teatro Súbito aus Mexiko

Body theater, biomechanics, mimodrama – development of scenes, for beginners and advanced.

It is as old as mankind itself – the language of the body and gestures, the dramatization of movement. It has been a driving force in the development of cultures and civilizations, all without words. The body is not just a means to an end, but a kinetic and dramatic intelligence that plays a crucial role in movement theater on stage. Here it is not enough to simply be athletic and muscular. Creativity and imagination and elegance in execution are equally important. Rafael Degar and Patricia Vázquez from Teatro Súbito in Mexico will explain exactly how to put these elements into practice during the workshop weekend at the festival. This offer is aimed equally at beginners, amateurs and professionals who want to learn more about the art of body language and movement. Rafael Degar and Patricia Vázquez from Teatro Súbito in Mexico will explain exactly how to put these elements into practice during the workshop weekend at the festival. This offer is aimed equally at beginners, amateurs and professionals who want to learn more about the art of body language and movement. The following program is planned: 1. the body in space – Neutrality and centeredness – Awareness and sensitization – Technique and training to control space and body movements. 2. pantomime – Imagination and physical abstraction – Geometrization of space – Dramatization of movement 3. illusion of movement – Movement technique – Gesture and emotion – Unfolding of space – Creating atmosphere Location: Project theater (hall of mirrors), Lousienstraße 47, Dresden Registration: info@mimedresden.de Participation fee: 150 EUR