Vanessa Stern FUNNY BIRDS. THEY CAME, THEY SAW, THEY FLEW

Three funny birds on the TD stage, an unusual habitat for them. One could be a crow, maybe all three. That will be something to observe, and that’s what it’s all about – observation. Who are we when we watch birds?

Inspired by Donna Haraway and Vinciane Despret, the three performers go stalking with their binoculars. Observation inspires. Which bird calls can they distinguish, which plumage do they recognise? The starlings that spend the winter at Alexanderplatz S-Bahn station are fascinating. As migratory birds, they have demissioned and feed on fast food. Some even imitate the S-Bahn signal.

The three Nazi granddaughters also look at the records of their grandfathers (the Konrad Lorenz generation). They were great connoisseurs of the local birdlife. Birdwatching is obviously political. It can be ethnic – but also feminist.

Trigger warning: In this piece, almost only original texts are spoken by people who are about to observe birds or who talk about how they have observed birds. Birds are neither present nor audible. There are no VR goggles and nobody is naked. Classics are not quoted.

World premiere on 2 October at TD Berlin.

Language: German

By and with Mira Partecke / Verena Unbehaun / Vanessa Stern
Directed by Vanessa Stern
Dramaturgy Dietmar Schmidt Stage
Costumes Eike Böttcher / Jelka Plate
Lighting design Maika Knoblich
artistic collaboration Janne Lilkendey artistic direction
Production management Anne Inken Bickert
Press relations Nora Gores
Graphics Gabi Altevers
Technical assistance Michael Klatt
Production Vanessa Stern / Co-production TD Berlin

Funded by the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion