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Today we have the pleasure and honor to help spread the word about a very special theater piece returning to the stage of Volksbühne Berlin on June 28-30: The Visitors by Constanca Macras / Dorkypark.
Macras has never been shy of taking a swing at big socio-political and socio-economic topics in her pieces such as gentrification, statelessness, migration, or marginalization. The Visitors is no exception here, as it deals with the consequences of Apartheid which is still a burning issue today. Especially, in times like these, it’s important for us to listen to the discourse in the arts and culture world, to counterbalance the noises of social media and ramblings of populism.
Giving a voice to the people directly affected by social issues, has always been an essential quality of the Dorkypark productions and it has ensured a very authentic and impactful processing of the major theme. In the case of The Visitors, you’ll get to hear the stories of South African youths whose lives were severely affected by Apartheid. But while this sounds like a rather serious affair, you can be sure that Dorkypark is going to present it to you in an unexpected and highly stimulating manner.
The Horrors of Reality
The horrors that the children of South African Apartheid have faced, the destruction of their families, the segregation and occupation, the threat of deportation, the challenges of bureaucracy, and the struggles through corruption – all these real life horrors are subverted through non-linear storytelling and presented as classic horror movie tropes that we’re all familiar with from classic slasher movies. This subgenre of horror is known for its hunt of teenagers that are completely left to their own devices without the support of their parents or other adults. The clear parallels of fiction and reality are uncanny here, but The Visitors finds a way to present them in a humorous way while dealing with real monsters.
In classic Dorkypark fashion you can expect a wild ride on the stage of Volksbühne that will fuse dance, performance, spoken word, music, a magnificent set, and lots of emotions into one meticulously crafted collage that will just rip you from your seats and pull you in.
The Visitors, which was originally conceived for and co-produced by the Ruhrtriennale and Kampnagel, premiered last summer in Duisburg and is a continuation of Macras’ collaboration with many of the young South African performers from her piece Hillbrowfication back in 2018 which was a huge success back then and had shows all the way through 2022. The cast also includes several of the beloved core Dorkypark members, as well as new performers from South Africa from the Windybrow Arts Centre.
At the end of this month, the show returns to Berlin one more time with dates at Volksbühne from June 28-30. You can secure your tickets here. Enjoy the ride!
The Visitors
by Constanza Macras / Dorkypark
June 28, 29, 30 – 19:30 h
Volksbühne, Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, 10178 Berlin
photos: Thomas Aurin
