photos: Frank R. Schröder.
The latest dance theater piece The Hunger by Costanza Macras and her company Dorky Park has taken Berlin by storm – and rightly so. This brilliant spectacle not only impresses with a unique cast, but also combines two themes on stage that are more topical than ever: Colonialism and the commodification of the self in the digital world. What follows is an animated review.
The unique event series, Sustainable Listening, curated by iHeartBerlin at Staatsoper Berlin, fuses classical music with pressing contemporary climate issues. This edition centered on how we allocate our time to work and whether it could be better spent saving the planet or simply relaxing.
Our next chapter of the event series Sustainable Listening together with Staatsoper Berlin combined culinary innovation and climate responsibility. Themed around the food system and the Planetary Health Diet, this unique gathering blended classical and electronic music, creating a sensory journey into the realms of food and sustainability.
Despite inflation hitting the gastronomy scene, Berlin continues to offer an impressive range of culinary delights from around the world and for different pockets. The city’s commitment to vegan and vegetarian cuisine is evident, although the numbers show there’s still progress to be made. With only 5% of restaurants being exclusively plant-based, and 20% offering vegetarian or vegan menus, Berlin’s food landscape reflects a growing, shift towards sustainable eating.
Once a year, the Staatsoper and iHeartBerlin invite readers and music enthusiast to the beautiful Apollosaal. For one night, the opera’s opulent marble reception hall takes on a dual role: a cinema and a cocktail bar. Related to the Opera season’s musical lineup, we hand-pick a film and craft a cocktail, aiming to stir the audience’s curiosity about a particular opera or musical piece. This year’s movie and drink by Zubrowka was all about the atmosphere and decadence of the start of the 20th century. Read on to learn more about it and see some impressions from this evening.
How can we still dance in a world where forests burn, oceans boil and societies become hateful instead of peaceful? The recent incident in the US where a young man was fatally stabbed by a teenager at a gas station because he was voguing was a big shock to the queer community worldwide. But it’s not a coincidence that bodies that nonconform to patriarchal power structures get attacked and killed. And especially, bodies that dare to show their power with dance are a threat to the old ideas of how the world should be run.
When thinking of dancing bodies in today’s world I think of pleasure, but I also think about the power of changing things that were taken for granted for way too long. So maybe we can help the world by dancing?
Berlin is not a city known for its love of stability and traditions. Things change rapidly, and what may be your favorite party or restaurant today could easily become dull and uninteresting tomorrow. As Berliners, we are spoiled with an infinity of options. However, there are certain events that should never be overlooked and genuinely deserve the label of “timeless.”
One of these rare gems is the annual free open-air concert, Staatsoper für Alle, which transforms Bebelplatz into a magnificent arena for classical music. Even if you haven’t been a fan of opera music in the past, attending this event may change your perspective. It’s similar to the effect of being in a stadium surrounded by devoted fans; eventually, the music will resonate with you.
Berlin transforms at night, and places that look inconspicuous during day time can become real hot spots for club kids and bar hoppers. Famous for its unique charm, the area between Treptower Park and Ostkreuz offers everything you could possibly dream of for a crazy night out in Berlin – and all of this within walking distance. Once a rather industrialized area, clubs and cultural institutions were the first to enhance its value – and let me tell you, they did. Now the corner between Stralauer Allee, Markgrafendamm, and Elsenbrücke is one of the most demanded areas when it comes to nightlife. And just on the other side of the bridge, there are a bunch of other clubs between Flutgraben and Schleusenufer.
These two areas offer plenty of cool options to spice up your weekend! Dozens of clubs, bars, and cultural institutions, which originally gave the area its vibe, invite you to explore and let loose. Here is a curated list of our favorite spots around Friedrichshain – Treptow – Kreuzberg.
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As Summer returns, so does one of our favorite happenings: “Staatsoper für Alle” – the annual open-air that transforms Bebelplatz Unter den Linden into an open-air arena for classical music. With free admission, live performances, and a special pop-up picnic organized by us, our readers are in for an unforgettable experience.
I guess most of our iHeartBerlin readers have been to an open-air party, a festival, or any other kind of music experience you can have beneath the summer sky. But over the years, I noticed how many see classical music as something that can only be experienced behind closed doors in big concert halls and so on. But what if one of the biggest and central public spaces in Berlin would become an open-air concert venue?
How much of the German forest can we still save? Together with Staatsoper Berlin, iHeartBerlin is trying to find a constructive solution through our new event series Sustainable Listening. Check out the recap of the climate performance from early January.
Last summer was considered a so-called forest fire summer. That year alone almost, 4300 hectares of forest were destroyed in large fires throughout Germany. Of course, many of these were hectares around Berlin, for example, in the Berlin Grunewald, where in August 2022 a blast from ammunition caused the accidental destruction of about 42 hectares.
photos: Frank R. Schröder.
Dear iHeartBerlin readers, it’s time to grab your popcorn and your drama glasses, because the newest production at the Volksbühne Berlin is about to give you a front-row seat to the drama that goes on behind the curtains.
Constanza Macras, the queen of theatrical chaos, has once again outdone herself with her latest masterpiece, DRAMA. This performance is not for those who prefer their theater neat and tidy. No, this one is for those who live for the drama, both on and off-stage. If you have never seen a piece by Macras, Drama might be your time to start.