UNSERE GRUBE

Together with young people, pulk fiktion is bringing the picture book "Our Pit" by Emma AdBåge (winner of the 2022 Youth Literature Prize) about freedom in play to the stage for children aged 5 and over.

We want to discuss the relationships between children and adults in a fun and honest way and bring the everyday world of children directly into the theater. Why do adults always interfere? Why are adults' play ideas always so boring? What are adults afraid of and where is it a legitimate concern? When do (play) rules make sense and where do they get in the way of imaginative play? And finally, the question of who owns public spaces and who is allowed to set the rules?

"Our Pit" aims to examine free play as a mirror of society, but also as a place of social education. Play is never "just" play, it is always a social place of negotiation. During the rehearsal process, we will not only ask the questions in interviews with children (aged 4 to 6), as is usual for us, but this time we are also looking for artistic collaboration with young people throughout the entire process (8+). They will be involved in the areas of set design, dramaturgy, mediation and artistic direction. The performers of pulk fiktion and the jointly decided aesthetic means will be on stage as representatives of the young perspectives.

The Cologne premiere of "Unsere Grube" will take place in January 2025 at the FWT.

Rights: First publication by Rabén & Sjögren, Stockholm, Sweden 2018 and in German (translation: Friederike Buchinger) by Beltz & Gelberg, Weinheim, 2021.

A co-production of pulk fiktion with the Freies Werkstatt Theater Köln and the FFT Düsseldorf.
Supported by the Cultural Office of the City of Cologne, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media