Remembering an Event of World History
The fall of the Berlin wall on 9th November 1989 was a day of rediscovery, a day of joy, and a celebration for the long-divided Germans.
Twenty years later we wish to revive this celebration once again with artistic means. We wish to take this celebration, this German word „Fest“, which is part of our name, the Berliner Festspiele, seriously and enable what was so extraordinary about this day of joy to be relived in a playful manner. The magic of The Big Giant and The Little Giant, their sheer scale and poetic presence are to my mind directly proportional to the manner in which people were overwhelmed on that day the wall fell by an event of world history.
Every historical shift has its own masters of ceremonies and maîtres de plaisir. From 1st to 4th October 2009, either side of the Day of German Unity, these roles will be assumed by the street theatre company Royal de Luxe and spielzeit’europa.
Every celebration is the result of long and imaginative efforts, countless conversations, ambitious technical staff and highly complex organization – and preparing something of this kind is the only endeavour which really makes it worthwhile. We hope that our celebration will fascinate the people of Berlin and turn the city into a magical place.
Joachim Sartorius
Artistic Director, Berliner Festspiele
July 2009
