PALMASOLA - Trigger Theaterfestival

PALMASOLA tells the story of everyday life and the excesses of violence in the
Bolivian prison of the same name, which occupies a top position in the cynical ranking of the
in the world.
Based on the fate of a recently imprisoned "gringo", a Swiss man arrested for
cocaine smuggling, we learn about the inmates' survival strategies and the merciless
inmates and the merciless rules of the prison, until an intervention by the military police
intervention by the military police leads to civil war-like conditions.

The theater project is based on several years of research. The team behind the theater production "Palmasola" is the only group to date that has been able to make video and audio recordings in Palmasola over several days. The stories and information for the theater evening were compiled from interviews with prisoners, lawyers, representatives of the prison government and the police, but above all from the theater and video workshops with the prisoners.

"Rigorous and comprehensive research forms the basis for one of the best plays performed in Bolivia in recent years."

Rocío Lloret Céspedes, La Region, Santa Cruz de la Sierra

"The play experimentally traces the excesses of violence in this unique prison. Palmasola is both the rule and the exception; a mystery that every inmate must explore as quickly as possible if they want to survive.... All of this is meticulously condensed in Christoph Frick's production: The documentary is paired with magical-realistic elements."

Hugo Velarde, Theater der Zeit

"PALMASOLA exposes us to an intense portrait of a city whose great quality is not to show a distant world on stage, but simply a model for society."

Maximilian Hanisch for the Swiss Theatertreffen.

"A course through hell"

Andreas Klaeui - theater today