Zusammenstoß. Ein höchstwahrscheinlicher Irrtum

In the organizer's words:

by Kurt Schwitters and Käthe Steinitz
Director: Naemi Friedmann

An unknown planet has reached our solar system. It is hurtling directly towards Earth and, according to calculations, will collide with it in just three days, wiping out the entire human race. The fact that the collision will most likely be a mistake is of no concern to people once the rumor of doom is out in the world. The Berlin masses at the end of the 1920s want to be mobilized, they push for entertainment and radicalization. The police see the approaching clash as a last chance for power and want to organize the downfall, the fashion industry wants to market it, the press turns it into a sensation, a major media event and love grows into infinity when it is soon no more.

In 1927, MERZ artist Kurt Schwitters and Käthe Steinitz wrote a science fiction play in which elements of language merge, objects awaken, people are multiplied: in which the impossible is realized. It is a play between doom and survivalism, about masses and mass media and the (new) life in the big city.

The characters in "Zusammenstoß. Ein höchstwahrscheinlicher Irrtum" is a video collage compiled by artist Ulu Braun especially for this production from his work "FORST" (winner of the German Short Film Award 2023 and the BerlinArtPrize).

Set designer Julia Oschatz and costume designer Elena Scheicher used only objects from the theater's collection for the set and costume design.

With: Matti Krause, Carlo Ljubek, Sasha Rau and Angelika Richter

Director: Naemi Friedmann
Stage: Julia Oschatz
Costumes: Elena Scheicher
Video: Ulu Braun Ulu Braun and Marek Luckow
Lighting: Björn Salzer
Dramaturgy: Martin Györffy

Further information: Collision. A highly probable error | Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg