ADVERTISING
A powerful musical theatre for children
Erich Kästner's famous work "Conference of the Animals" is performed as a gripping musical theatre piece for the whole family at the Rüsselsheim Theatre.
Director Andrea Pinkowski gives the children's book classic a modern, compelling touch and turns it into a passionate appeal: against the inertia of the heart and for joint efforts to protect our planet.
"This is the first and last attempt by the animals of all continents to save the Earth. We demand immediate action!" – with these uncompromising words, polar bear Paula opens the animal conference. The situation on the planet is dire. The animals are threatened by water scarcity and wars, while humans repeatedly gather for fruitless conferences to negotiate the fate of the world. They seem to have a monopoly on reason and refuse even to listen to the animals and their demands. With each encounter, the conflict between humans and animals intensifies; with each encounter, the tone and language change. What are we doing to our planet? Who exactly is this "WE," and who owns the Earth?
The most urgent appeals regarding the climate crisis are currently being formulated by young people, for example in the Fridays for Future movement. Similarly, in Kästner's work, published over 70 years ago, children are portrayed as the animals' first allies, mediating between the intuitive animal world and the rational adult world.
Music as a "passport in communication between humans and animals"
Composer and musical director Sinem Altan explores the tension between reason and sensuality in the music of this production: “The animals use musical form to be understood by humans. I draw on folk songs, folkloric elements, and sounds of nature that have been ‘civilized’ into gospel, jazz, and blues. The animals use musical form on a relational level to be understood by humans. Within these civilized forms of music, I have tried to establish a sound of the earth. Throughout the piece, instrumental sounds emerge, culminating in the sung Earth Song at the end, a metaphor for interconnectedness with one another and with our planet.” The event is suitable for ages eight and up.
The story of the "Conference of the Animals" calls for a collective effort to find ideas for peaceful coexistence and a universal language. This production transforms the famous parable into a musical and animalistic appeal against the inertia of the heart.
(Photos: Barbara Eismann)
