Berlin

‘Go there, become rich, get out’ was the motto in the formerly flourishing silver mine city Bonanza in the North American state of Colorado. Thirty-six saloons, seven dance halls and any number of prostitutes served the former 6,000 inhabitants as welcome pastimes while waiting to strike it rich. The glory days are long since past, and meanwhile there is a running municipal-statistical battle being fought beneath the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. Nowadays there are only seven permanent inhabitants left, immersed in their own spirituality on the fertile soil of accusations, gossip, murder, and fear. The Belgium group Berlin spent two months there and witnessed an unreal world, characterised by isolation and mistrust. An extraordinary cinematic city portrait emerged, which is projected on the stage by way of five projection screens and a true-to-scale model. During one evening in the theatre Berlin opens the Bonanza microcosm to the world. Seven mavericks, condemned to be social, are looking for happiness yet unable to prevent mishaps along the way. The group Berlin started in 2003 with the project Holocene, a series of city portraits that is extended each year. After Jerusalem and Iqaluit, Bonanza is the third instalment of the series, which was concluded with Moscow. Most recently Berlin was a guest at the Wiener Festwochen 2011 in brut with the production tagfish. www.berlinberlin.be

Concept Berlin (Bart Baele, Yves Degryse, Caroline Rochlitz) Photography Bart Baele, Nico Leunen Sound Tom De With Cuttings Bart Baele Soundtrack & mixing Peter Van Laerhoven Research Berlin, Nico Leunen Graphics Gerjo Van Dam Model Koen De Ceuleneer Assistance realisation decor Tom Van de Oudeweetering Catering Kim Troubleyn, Veronique Batens Voiceover Sofie Benoot Software development Frank Lanssens Technical department Dadaelectronics Bookkeeping Koen Huygebaert Set photos Kim Troubleyn Aerial photography Saguache Ranger District

A Berlin production in co-production with STUK, Leuven, KVS, Brussels, and Vooruit, Gent. With support from the Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Flanders Image, and the city of Antwerp. Berlin are artists in residence in the Kunstencentrum STUK, Leuven, und Associated Artists of the CENTQUATRE, Paris. With support by the Flämische Repräsentanz Wien and the Flemish Ministry of Culture.

Kindly supported by:

€14/8/6* with the brutkarte