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Press Kit
„Le rendez-vous de Berlin – The Berlin Reunion“
A Giants’ Tale for Berlin, narrated by Royal de Luxe
Presented by spielzeit’europa | Berliner Festspiele
Berlin, 1. – 4. October 2009
“Le rendez-vous de Berlin – The Berlin Reunion”
A Giant’s Tale by Royal de Luxe
Presented by spielzeit’europa | Berliner Festspiele
Berlin, 1 to 4 October, 2009
Content
1.
“Separated, Sought, Reunited” Press release
2.
Message of Welcome of Bernd Neumann
3.
Message of Welcome of Joachim Sartorius
4.
“An October Fairy Tale for Berlin” by Brigitte Fürle
5.
Facts & Figures
6.
What, When, Where
7.
Engineering Drawings
8.
Technical Informations of the Giants
9.
The story so far
10. The Letter Project
11. Biography of Royal de Luxe
12. Interview with Jean Luc Courcoult
13. Team Royal de Luxe
14. Team Berliner Festspiele
15. Biography of Brigitte Fürle
16. Photo Preview
Beilagen
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Press-CD
Postcard „The Giants Arrive“
Reederei Riedel
ARTE
Mercedes-Benz
TOTAL
Partners
Overview spielzeit’europa 2009
Brochure spielzeit’europa 2009
Separated, Sought, Reunited
The story of the two giants will enthrall Berlin for the anniversary of the
fall of the Wall
For the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Berliner Festspiele will give the city a
very special gift: “From 1-4 October hundreds of thousands of people, both citizens of Berlin
and visitors from all over the world, will enjoy a gigantic theatrical performance, so to speak,”
says Joachim Sartorius, the artistic director of Berliner Festspiele. The French street theatre
company, Royal de Luxe, has been invited by spielzeit’europa, the Berliner Festspiele Theatre and Dance Season, and it will commemorate the peaceful revolution of 1989 in a unique
way, with its fairy tale of two giants’ separation and reunion.
The story begins fantastically, as only a giant story can. Many, many years ago, when it was
still marshland, giants lived in Berlin. Two of these giants were the Big Giant and his niece,
the Little Giantess. One day, land and sea monsters tore the city in two and enclosed part of
it with a wall. The two giants were separated, and so began a painful odyssey for both of
them. The Little Giantess set out in her boat to find her uncle, and after many years, the Big
Giant found a dormant geyser on the sea bed. The geyser was rudely awoken, making the
earth tremble and causing the wall to fall – an earthquake that paved the way for the giants’
reunion.
Here starts the story that was written especially for Berlin by Jean Luc Courcoult, the artistic
director and founder of Royal de Luxe, to commemorate the fall of the Wall 20 years ago,
and it will be performed in October in the streets of the city itself. On 1 October in Schlossplatz and Pariser Platz, you will see the first signs that the giants are coming. Then Berlin will
be transformed into a real-life theatre, and the four-day open-air spectacle, “Le rendez-vous
de Berlin – The Berlin Reunion”, will begin. It will be the main event to commemorate the
reunification of Germany, and it has been organized under the auspices of Bernd Neumann,
Minister of State for Culture. He says: “The fairy tale of the giants, in which the giant puppets
meet each other again at the Brandenburg Gate after years of separation, will be a magical
reminder of the real ‘fairy tale’ reunion that took place on that historic day. The street production will be performed over four days, including German Reunification Day. It is a gift from
Berliner Festspiele, funded by the German Federal Government, to the people of Berlin and
its many visitors. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all the partners and supporters
who made this event in Berlin possible.” Brigitte Fürle, the artistic director of spielzeit’europa,
who has accompanied Royal de Luxe all around the world for many years, says: “The fairy
tale of the giants is not only a present to the city to commemorate 20 years since the fall of
the Wall: we want people to be moved and enthralled in equal measure, and we will celebrate that historic moment by bringing a smile to thousands of faces.”
The day before the Big Giant emerges from the River Spree at Humboldthafen (Humboldt
Harbor) on 3 October and sets out to find his niece, she will wake up with her boat in front of
the Red Town Hall, next to a mysterious postbag. “The Little Giantess’s postbag will contain
letters and cards intercepted and read by the Stasi, which may never have reached their intended recipients,” explains Courcoult. With her postbag in tow, the Little Giantess will set
out through the city to find her uncle. The two giants’ journeys will take them through historic
places in central Berlin, such as Unter den Linden, Checkpoint Charlie and the Potsdamer
Platz, finishing at the Brandenburg Gate. This will be a reminder of the fate of all the people
separated by the division of Germany, and of that world-shaking event 20 years ago: the fall
of the Berlin Wall.
For Jean Luc Courcoult, the creative mastermind behind the Saga of the Giants, the location
is inevitably steeped in historical significance. For him, open space is far more than a mere
stage: it is a source of inspiration, and of obligation. The fundamental principle of his “Theatre of Creation” is to put on free, open-air street productions close to the audience. And the
success of his theatre’s productions all around the world proves that his idea works. The
company co-founded by Courcoult in 1979 has developed into one of the most famous street
theatre companies in the world over the last 30 years. In ways never seen before, Royal de
Luxe stages fantastical fairy tales of humanity and adventure always casting a magic spell
on hundreds of thousands of spectators. Since their “birth” in 1993, the giant marionettes
have travelled through world history, telling the stories of emotional and momentous occasions. After acclaimed appearances in London in 2006, in Santiago, Chile in 2007, and in Nantes in June this year, the giants are now coming to visit Berlin. “I give people dreams, and
that is all. This is a heart-warming story, and it is a story about humanity,” says Courcoult
about the latest episode in the Saga of the Giants, “Le rendez-vous de Berlin – The Berlin
Reunion”.
To send its giants off on their travels, Royal de Luxe needs skill, flair and organization. Otherwise the two giants, 15 meters and 7.5 meters tall respectively, would not move. Both
marionettes are supported by vehicles which enable their massive bodies to walk through
the streets. The giants move in an unbelievably lifelike way, as if by magic, but it takes 30
“Lilliputians” (actors) just to bring the 2.5-ton Big Giant to life. Though lighter than her uncle,
the Little Giantess also weighs in at no less than 800 kg. The bodies of both giants are works
of art, made of steel, lime wood and poplar wood. Just to give an idea of their dimensions:
the Big Giant has a European shoe size of 237, and the Little Giantess’s wig was made out
of 50 horses’ tails. It takes an enormous effort to make these marionettes look human – a
work of art far beyond the grounds of technical feasibility alone.
After three years of preparation, Brigitte Fürle is looking forward to the great event, “The Berlin Reunion”. It is a mega event comparable with the wrapping of the new Reichstag in 1995
or the glorious FIFA World Cup summer fairy tale of 2006, and to date, more than 200 people have worked on it long-term. She says, “With their poetic, moving fairy tale, in their own
incomparable way, and with unique tenderness in their eyes, the giants will make the 20th
anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall an unforgettable experience. An October fairy tale
for Berlin.”
ARTE will be following the giants on their journey through Berlin, from the moment they arrive to their reunion at the Brandenburg Gate and will give the viewers an exclusive glimpse
behind the scenes of the giants’ stroll through the city. The documentary will be broadcasted
on Saturday, 3 October at 8:15 p.m. Moreover, ARTE Kultur will broadcast an update on events every day from 28 September to 2 October www.arte.tv/royaldeluxe, web reporters
and webcams will record the puppets’ progress and the public’s reaction.
A Festival of Joy
Message of Welcome of Federal Government Commissioner Bernd
Neumann
The fall of the Berlin wall on 9th November 1989 was a significant event in world history and
for the Germans above all it was a day of joy. A joy which was unexpected though long desired and painfully won. These powerful emotions are still quite evident when one looks again
at the film of the events that evening in the Bornholmer Straße, when the sheer pressure of
people forced the wall to be opened. Those people’s faces reflect their thirst for freedom and
a self-governed life, their hopes of being together with family or friends or their yearning to
travel to countries hitherto beyond their reach. On the other side of the wall the surprise was
just great as they were greeted with spontaneous warmth and offers of help. These were
moments of incomprehensible happiness, unclouded by the worries and considerable hard
work which would accompany them on the journey to complete unification.
This day of joy is what the French street theatre company Royal de Luxe seek to remind us
of with their spectacular work “The Giants Arrive”. Their exaggerated fairy tale with giant marionettes who are reunited at the Brandenburg Gate after years of separation reminds us of
the »fairy tale« which came true in those days. This theatre production in the streets for four
days around the Day of German Unity is a gift from the federally funded Berliner Festspiele
to the people of Berlin and their many guests. I warmly thank all the partners and supporters
who have made this event in Berlin possible.
Let yourselves be captivated by the giants’ charm and the company’s sublime technical skill
and let us all celebrate together with these giants from France a festival of joy.
Bernd Neumann
Minister of State to the Federal Chancellor
Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
June 2009
Remembering an Event of World History
Message of Welcome of Joachim Sartorius
The fall of the Berlin wall on 9th November 1989 was a day of rediscovery, a day of joy, and
a celebration for the long-divided Germans.
Twenty years later we wish to revive this celebration once again with artistic means. We
wish to take this celebration, this German word “Fest”, which is part of our name, the Berliner
Festspiele, seriously and enable what was so extraordinary about this day of joy to be relived in a playful manner. The magic of The Big Giant and The Little Giantess, their sheer
scale and poetic presence are to my mind directly proportional to the manner in which people were overwhelmed on that day the wall fell by an event of world history.
Every historical shift has its own masters of ceremonies and maîtres de plaisir. From 1-4 October 2009, either side of the Day of German Unity, these roles will be assumed by the street
theatre company Royal de Luxe and spielzeit’europa.
Every celebration is the result of long and imaginative efforts, countless conversations, ambitious technical staff and highly complex organization – and preparing something of this kind
is the only endeavour which really makes it worthwhile. We hope that our celebration will
fascinate the people of Berlin and turn the city into a magical place.
Joachim Sartorius
Artistic Director, Berliner Festspiele
July 2009
An October Fairy Tale for Berlin
by Brigitte Fürle
A theatre curtain catches fire in the middle of a large square, a piano flies through the air and
announces the end of western theatre. Thousands of people, crowded together, their eyes
wide open and smiling with amazement, consternation or simple joy. Children laughing in a
village in the desert high up in the North of Cameroon dangling like grapes from the branches of the surrounding trees – just like the audience in the venerable old trees of Vienna’s
City Hall park who could no longer find seats in the stand…
When I look back at the theatrical events of Royal de Luxe, which I have been able to follow
for over 15 years – beginning in Italy at a summer festival of street theatre at the end of the
80s and continuing via Cameroon, Australia and Chile – then there was nothing that was not
possible and there was nothing that had already been invented. “Théâtre de creation”, the
theatre of creation, this rather unusual phrase stands for Royal de Luxe as a theatre of invention which covers their application of an inexhaustible workshop full of wonders. Inventors, clowns, craftsmen and engineers, actors and artists – this company has been living for
30 years now in the spirit of the travelling players of commedia dell’arte, with Jean Luc Courcoult as its creative leader, director and writer all in one.
Alongside the giant history book “La véritable histoire de France” and the spoof desert epic “Le péplum” (both performances were shown in Berlin over ten years ago – and in the
latter the aforementioned piano flew through the air) Jean Luc Courcoult created the first episode in his giants’ saga in 1993 “Le Géant tombé du ciel“ (The Giant who Fell from the
Sky), in which a 14 metre high giant with gentle eyes, inspired by Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s
Travels” wandered loudly through the streets of Le Havre inside a huge steel structure. It
was there too that I first saw the giant. And since then, perhaps not at first sight but shortly
afterwards – in my memory of those huge yet gentle giant eyes and the sight of so many
people of every age who without exception, even those who just happened to be passing by,
were captivated by the charm of this theatre – I could feel a desire, a desire to make one of
these giants’ stories of Royal de Luxe come true. That was 15 years ago. And in my home
city of Vienna there are too many tram wires and the streets in the heart of the city are too
narrow. I left the Wiener Festwochen a long time ago and in the meantime Jean Luc Courcoult has also created “smaller” giants, like the graceful Little Black Giant, who “came with
them” from Africa and the magical Little Giantess, who most recently chased a rhinoceros in
Santiago de Chile – surrounded by an audience of one and a half million!
And now Berlin. It will happen! I have been running the theatre and dance season for the
Berliner Festspiele for three years now and for the same time we have been preparing “Le
rendez-vous de Berlin – The Berlin Reunion”, performed by Royal de Luxe on behalf of
spielzeit’europa celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The company
has visited Berlin several times, a route through the city has been worked out and a fairy tale
has been created especially for this city that will be exclusively told here and nowhere else in
the world. By now a great many supporters have been drawn into the gigantic preparations
for the giants’ arrival: my colleagues at the Berliner Festspiele, my wonderful team at spielzeit’europa, other close partners, all public authorities of the city of Berlin – including the traffic control center, the civil engineering department, the monuments preservation office and
the public order office. Moreover: the Berlin district Mitte, politicians at federal level such as
the Senate Chancellery, tourism, traffic, business and the media, hotels and the taxi guild,
ship-owners and the fire department, city cleaning and the German Post. Even an aircraft
hangar at Tempelhof airport has been made available for rehearsals! Everyone we addressed throughout the preparations was excited about the project and willing to help.
Magic is in the air and Berlin is ready for a spellbinding fairy tale. Just like the wrapped
Reichstag in 1995 or the summer fairy tale of the FIFA World Cup in 2006 something big and
exciting is looming. “The Giants Arrive” and in a poetic and moving fairy tale they will turn
the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall into an unforgettable event from their own tender
perspective and in their own incomparable way. It will be an event venturing to live up to the
joy and the great emotions of 1989, a gift to the city, to its inhabitants and to all spectators
from near or far. An October fairy tale for Berlin.
Brigitte Fürle
Artistic Director spielzeit’europa/ Berliner Festspiele
September 2009
Facts & Figures
Titel
Le rendez-vous de Berlin – The Berlin Reunion
A Giant’s Tale narrated by Royal de Luxe
Company
Royal de Luxe, Nantes
Artistic Director
Jean Luc Courcoult
Duration
1 to 4 October, 2009
Location
Streets and places in Berlin, among others Pariser Platz, Unter den
Linden, Brandenburger Tor, Checkpoint Charlie, Rotes Rathaus,
Straße des 17. Juni, Friedrichstraße, Bebelplatz, Lustgarten and
many more
Host
spielzeit’europa | Berliner Festspiele
Dircetor Berliner Festspiele: Prof. Dr. Joachim Sartorius
Artistic Director spielzeit’europa / Chief Executive Producer:
Dr. Brigitte Fürle
Patron
Federal Government Commissioner for Culture Bernd Neumann
Funders
The theatre spectacle was made possible by the generous support of
our
funders,
sponsors,
partners
and
supporters.
Supported by: Der Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und
Medien, Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin, Culturesfrance
Main sponsors: Mercedes-Benz, Total Deutschland
Media Partners
ARTE, Der Tagesspiegel, RBB radioBerlin 88,8
Highlights
Friday, 2 October: In front of the Rotes Rathaus, the Little Giantess
will be welcomed personally by the mayor of Berlin.
Saturday, 3 October: The Big Giant emerges out of the water as a
deep sea diver in the Humboldthafen next to the new central station;
in the afternoon both giants meet again at the Brandenburger Tor.
Sunday, 4 October: the two reunited giants travel down the Straße
des 17. Juni in a large celebratory parade; goodbye at the
Molkebruecke, leaving by boat towards Museumsinsel
Participants
More than 200 participants
Audience
More than 1 million people are expected
Music
The music for this theatre event was made by Michel Augier, who
created the music for Royale de Luxe for many years. It was
recorded by the composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist Augier
and his band „Les Balayeurs du désert“.
More information at www.pyrozone-edition.fr.
Television reports and Saturday, 3 October 08.15 pm on ARTE (Repetition Sunday, 18
Online-documentations October 09.50 am)
Documentation: Royal de Luxe – Die Riesen in Berlin
by Tita von Hardenberg (ZDF/ARTE 2009, 45 Min)
Editors: Wolfgang Bergmann / Bettina Kasten
From 28 September to 2 October ARTE Kultur reports daily at 08.00
pm
From 1 to 4 October current Live-Informationen by Web-Reporter and
Webcams on www.arte.tv/royaldeluxe
Media Contact
Goldmann Public Relations Berlin
Zimmerstraße 11, 10969 Berlin
Tel.: +49 (0)30 259 357-10
Fax: +49 (0)30 259 357-29
Press Center
Vivico Pavillon at the main railway station of Berlin (Hauptbahnhof)
Washingtonplatz 1
Tel.: +49 (0)30 20 67 98 -91/ -92
Openig hours: 22 September to 4 October, 9.00 am - 6.00 pm
Technical realization
Media Pool Veranstaltungsservice GmbH Berlin
an event in oder of spielzeit’europa I Berliner Festspiele
Project Menagement: Mirko Klitscher
Website
www.riesen-in-berlin.de
Specials
Exclusivly with three boats Reederei Riedel accompanied the arrival
of the Big Giant on October 3 as well as the goodbye on October 4.
Prices and tickets at www.reederei-riedel.de. As a welcome gift for
the giants the Bäcker-Innung Berlin hands out 1.000 Heferiesen
(baked giants made of yeast) to the audience.
Exhibition
From September 16 to October 6 the Institut Français shows an
exhibition of the famous spanish photographer Jordi Bover, who
accompanied Royal de Luxe and the giants for years: “Das Theater
von Royal de Luxe” (The Theatre Royale de Luxe).
Opening hours and more details at www.institut-francais.fr.
What, When, Where
Thursday 1 October
Strange things happen at the Schlossplatz and the Pariser Platz to indicate that the giants
are coming.
Photo opportunities at Pariser Platz at 10.00 a.m.
Friday 2 October
In front of the Rotes Rathaus, the Little Giantess will be welcomed personally by the mayor
of Berlin. She carries a large post office sack, full of undelivered letters, and is looking for her
uncle, the Big Giant, whom she has not seen for years. She explores on foot and in her ocean-going boat the area as far as the Bebelplatz and the Gendarmenmarkt, and goes to sleep
that evening in the Lustgarten.
Photo opportunities amongst others at Rotes Rathaus with the governing mayor Klaus Wowereit at 10.00 a.m.; as a welcome gift for the giants the Bäcker-Innung Berlin hands out
1.000 Heferiesen (baked giants made of yeast) to the audience, in the afternoon Bebelplatz
and in the evning in front of the Lustgarten.
Saturday 3 October
While the Little Giantess makes her way to Checkpoint Charlie and the Potsdamer Platz, the
Big Giant emerges out of the water as a deep sea diver in the Humboldthafen next to the
new central station. He moves through the streets in the direction of the Siegessäule looking
for his little niece. In the late afternoon uncle and niece meet again after years of separation
at the Brandenburg Gate.
Photo opportunities amongst others in the morning at Humboldthaften, in front of the Main
Station, at Moltkebrücke and in front of the Reichstag as well as in Friedrichstraße, at
Checkpoint Charlie and Potsdamer Platz; in the afternoon Straße des 17. Juni, Unter den
Linden and around Brandenburger Tor, with Federal Government Commissioner for Culture
and the MediaBernd Neumann, French Minister of Culture and Communication Frédéric
Mitterand and governing mayor Klaus Wowereit.
Sunday 4 October
Starting at the Brandenburg Gate, the two reunited giants travel down the Straße des 17.
Juni in a large celebratory parade. Finally the giant postal sack spits out its long lost letters.
The Little Giantess and the Big Giant walk together to the Spree and leave by boat.
Photo opportunities amongst others at Pariser Platz, Straße des 17. Juni, in front of the
Reichstag and at Moltkebrücke; after the giants left by boat along river Spree at MarieElisabeth-Lüders-Haus, Museumsinsel and East-Side-Gallery.
Technical Information of the Giants
The Big Giant (The Deep-Sea Diver)
Dimensions
Size and weight including vehicle
height: 15 m; width: 4.10 m; weight: c. 25 tons
shovel excavator (25 PS), with additional crane arm and cable structure
Height and weight of giant excluding vehicle: height: 9.50 m; width 2.80 m; weight: 2.5 tons
Forward speed: 1 km/h;
Number of people moving the giant (‘Lilliputians’): 30
Materials
The Big Giant has a body made of steel, lime wood and poplar wood, hair made of horsehair, and eyelashes made of broom hair; and his eyes are streetlamp lights moved by small
motors.
Clothes
The Big Giant wears a diving suit made of lorry tarp and a deep-sea diving helmet. His European shoe size is 237, corresponding to European human shoe size 45.
The Little Giantess
Dimensions
Size and weight including vehicle
height: 7.50 m, weight: 13.5 tons
forage harvester (160 PS) with an additional support arm mounted by Royal de Luxe
Size and weight of the Little Giantess excluding vehicle: height: 5.50 m;
weight: 800 kg, of which 300 kg wood and 500 kg steel
Forward speed: 2.5 km/h
Number of people moving the Little Giantess (‘Lilliputians’): 22
Materials
The Little Giantess’s body consists of 500 kg steel, and her hands and head, the most sensitive parts of the puppet, are made of 300 kg poplar wood and lime wood; she has hair and
eyebrows made of horsehair, lights from streetlamps for eyes, and eyelashes made of
broom hair. The Little Giantess’s wig was manufactured with the help of an expert wigmaker
out of 50 horses’ tails.
Clothes
In the new production, the Little Giantess gets a new item of clothing: a yellow oilskin jacket
with a matching southwester hat. Of course, she will also wear her pink bodice and green
dress, as usual.
The Boat
Dimensions and Speed
Dimensions including vehicle
height: 7 m, length 25 m, width: 3 m, weight: c. 40 tons
lorry (ca. 400 PS) with trailer
Dimensions of the Boat excluding vehicle: height: 4.5 m; length: 12 m, weight: 8 tons
Maximum speed: 5 km/h
Number of people moving the boat (‘Lilliputians’): 6
Materials
The Boat is an old steel pusher boat from the 1920s which Royal de Luxe found in Chalonsur-Saône. It can pitch backwards and forwards and rock from side to side, as if in a storm. It
is placed in a 12 m x 3 m basin filled with water, and it has a gigantic fan (diameter: 1.50 m)
fixed at its prow to simulate different wind strengths.
The Little Giantess, the wall and the Deep-Sea Diver
The story so far
Once upon a time, a long time ago, Berlin was a swamp inhabited by giants.
They planted roots in the water which slowly grew up into trees, whose trunks they later used to build shelters. In one of these huts lived a Little Giantess together with her uncle, the
Big Giant. He had given her a wonderful boat in which she could travel across the continent.
But one day land and sea monsters tore the city in two. And one of these two pieces was
walled up. When this happened the Big Giant and the Little Giantess were separated. He
was so angry that he threw himself into the river and from there he wandered through the
depths of the oceans looking for the sleeping geyser on the sea floor. Many years passed
until he eventually found it.
He dragged it underneath the city walls and woke it rudely. The earth shook, the walls
crumbled and washed away, a strong wind made the Little Giantess’s boat start moving and
pulled the roots of the trees up into the air.
When this was all over, the Big Giant climbs out of the river and starts searching. The Little
Giantess wakes up beside her boat and discovers a sack full of letters which were never delivered. She decides she is going to deliver the post and on her way round the city she is
reunited with her uncle, the Big Giant.
Jean Luc Courcoult
Author and Director,
Artistic Director Royal de Luxe
The Little Giantess and the Mailbag
The Letter Project
When the Little Giantess wakes up in front of the Rotes Rathaus on 2 October, she will have
a large, old mailbag with her that is modeled on an original East German mailbag. Inside it
will be letters and postcards written during the Cold War: Letters from East and West that
were intercepted, opened and read, many of which may never have reached the addressees. On the morning of 4 October, after the Little Giantess and the Big Giant are finally reunited following a long separation, a letter canon will fire the letters and postcards out into the
crowd during the parade celebrations.
Ten letters and ten postcards served as the models for the 90,000 copies in the Little Giantess‘s mailbag, most of which came from the archives of the Federal Commissioner for the
Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic (BStU).
Four letters were written as part of a project by children from the Berlin center for creativity
and education, the “Gelbe Villa.” Most of the historical documents were copied in their entirety for the letter project; a few others are in abbreviated form. All names and personal data
have been blocked out for legal reasons, so that the names and addresses in the letters are
pure fabrication and were added later. Most of the letters are about separation, not being
able to be together, applications for exit visas and their rejection, as well as about attempts
to escape the GDR. There are, however, also letters from children in which the tragic nature
of the period can only be sensed between the lines.
The confidentiality of telecommunications and written correspondence was also specifically
recognized in the GDR as a fundamental right (Article 8 of the first constitution, October
1949, as well as Article 31 of the second constitution, 1968/1974). This right, however, was
subject to legal limitations. All postal consignments, which had foreign countries in the West
- especially West Germany - as either their place of origin or destination, were systematically
examined by Division M of the Ministry for State Security (MfS). The postal service worked
with Division M to this end and conducted business within this division under the name “Department 12.” The reason for these inspections was MfS’s intention to investigate the general mood of the citizens, to uncover and suppress system-critical tendencies and to conduct
reconnaissance work abroad.
The MfS’s investigation of written correspondence began the year the GDR was founded, in
1950, with three interns and several dozen employees and was continually expanded: By
1989 the sector had more than ten departments and almost 2,200 employees. The vast importance this investigation system gained over time is evident in part by the fact that, from
1982 onward, Division M was directly answerable to the MfS’s director, Erich Mielke.
Usually the letters were opened, copied, closed again and sent on. To do this, a unique
technique was developed that enabled an “invisible” opening of the letters. In addition, Division M had an extensive collection of foreign postmarks. Money was usually appropriated. In
the case of system-critical remarks, the sender was eventually charged of such by devious
means. Handwriting experts who could recognize specific hand writing also worked in Division M so that the sender information could be retraced in the event that it was missing.
Biography of Royal de Luxe
Royal de Luxe are inventors and adventurers, poets and scrap dealers all rolled into one.
Since more than 30 years Royal de Luxe stands for extraordinary street theatre, which is
known all over the world. The street theatre company led by their founder and artistic director Jean Luc Courcoult is currently considered – alongside the Théâtre du Soleil – as France’s greatest, most legendary theatre company.
Everything began in 1978 in Aix-en-Provence, where Jean Luc Courcoult and other actors
and musicians created their first play “Le Cap Horn”. Driven by the conviction that people
can be touched more easily in the street than they can inside a theatre, the performances
take place in public spaces. With their next play they call themselves Royal de Luxe, a name
borrowed from the tape recorder they work with. In 1979 Royal de Luxe settles in St-Jeandu-Gard in the Cevennes where, in the following years, a series of works is created, which
are also shown abroad – especially in Germany and Italy.
In 1984 the company expands and in their new home near Toulouse they develop what will
become their own characteristic form of street theatre: le théâtre de place (theatre of place),
for example “Parfum d’amnesium / Roman photo” (Photo novella; 1984), which tells a story
through a series of photographs re-enacted inside a giant picture frame; la parade: the first
two plays in a long series of “Parades”; le spectacle de quinze minutes (15-MinutesSpectacle) with “La demi-finale du Waterclash“; le spectacle sur trois jours (three day spectacles): a story specific to a particular place is told in that place over three days; as well as
l’habitation d’un lieu (residencies in one place): a daily rendez-vous with the audience at the
same time in the same place to experience the next episode of an unusual story, for example “La maison dans les arbres” (The House in the Trees) 1987 in Toulouse.
In October 1989 Royal de Luxe leave the South of France and go to Nantes at the invitation
of its mayor. In its new space, a disused factory on the banks of the Loire which Royal de
Luxe still use today, the company creates “La véritable histoire de France”. The invitation to
open the 1990 Avignon Festival with this piece, which leafs through French history in a giant
book, represents the first sign of recognition from the French theatre world. 1991 they presented the piece 16 times in Europe – also on the Schlossplatz in Berlin – and 19 times in
France, two times in front of the Grande Arche in La Défense (Paris) with an audience of
more than 10,000 Zuschauern at each event.
With “Les Embouteillages” (The Traffic Jam) in 1993, Royal de Luxe invent a new form of
street theatre, the so-called théâtre d’accident (coincidental theatre), synonymous with performances that lack previous arrangements and that play with the element of the surprise of
the unsuspecting pedestrians and car drivers passing by. This same year, the Big Giant is
born with the piece “Le Géant tombé du ciel” (The Giant who Fell from the Sky). Inspired by
“Gulliver‘s Travels”, the poetic theatre event entertains occupants of the French seaport Le
Havre for three days with fantastic tales of the Big Giant, who, helped by numerous “Lilliputaners”, wanders through the streets of the city. On account of the public’s enthusiasm, a
new Big Giant story follows in 1994, “Le Géant tombé du ciel: dernier voyage” (The Giant
who Fell from the Sky: Last Voyage), and the saga of the giant is born.
With “Le péplum” in 1995, Royal de Luxe returns to a more traditional form of theatre before,
in 1997, it embarks on a six-month theatric adventure in Cameroon in order to find new
sources of inspiration and to develop new forms of theatre. With their production of “Retour
d’Afrique”, an enormous parade of two giants in which the Big Giant is accompanied by the
Little Black Giant, the son he has brought back with him from Africa, Royal de Luxe celebrate their return in 1998 in Le Havre, Calais, Nantes and Anvers (Belgium) and present additional pieces created in Africa: “Petits contes nègres titre provisoire” (1999) and a new Big Giant tale, “Les chasseurs de girafes“ (The Giraffe Hunters; 2000). The search for new kinds of
theatre leads the company to China in spring 2001 where “Petits contes nègres” (Little
Negro Tales) is reworked together with the company’s new members, six Chinese artists,
and becomes the “Petits contes chinois revus et corrigés par les nègres” (Little Chinese Tales Reviewed and Corrected by the Negros).
In 2003, with the title “Le Tréteau des Ménestrels”, Royal de Luxe present the piece “Soldes!
Deux spectacles pour le prix d’un” (Sale! Two Plays for the Price of One), which presents
two theatre classics, “Hamlet” and “The Imaginary Invalid”, on a revolving stage. The audience’s reception of the piece is enthusiastic and it is adapted in Spanish and initially goes
on a tour to Chile and is later performed in front of approximately 72,000 spectators as part
of an international tour.
In May 2005 the major theatrical event, “La visite du Sultan des Indes sur son éléphant à
voyager dans le temps” (The Visit by the Indian Sultan on His Elephant Traveling Through
Time), is created and introduces a new figure, the Little Giantess, who enchants millions of
spectators in London in May 2006 with her magic and who consequently receives invitations
to perform from all over the world. In 2007 she can be seen in “Le rhinocéros cache” (The
Hidden Rhinoceros) in Santiago de Chile. The success of this performance exceeds all expectations; more than two million Chileans make a triumph of the first giant event outside
Europe. That same year, the Little Giantess reemerges in Iceland in the piece, “Le geyser de
Reykjavik” (The Geyser of Reykjavik), based on Nordic sagas.
In 2008 Royal de Luxe develops a new form of street theatre with “La Révolte des Mannequins”, a kind of comic strip with mannequins. As part of spielzeit’europa 08/09 this installation will now be presented for a week in the windows of KaDeWe in Berlin, where it will captivate thousands of passers by both day and night.
Following the creation of “La Géante du Titanic et le Scaphandrier” staged in Nantes 5-7 June 2009, on 1-4 October Royal de Luxe will present another episode of the giant saga in
Berlin in cooperation with spielzeit’europa: “Le rendez-vous de Berlin – The Berlin Reunion”.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the tale tells the magical
story of the Big Giant and his niece, The Little Giantess, who are reunited after a long separation at the Brandenburg Gate.
“We make theatre with tenderness and with humor”
Jean Luc Courcoult interviewed by Marie Comment
Public space, to put it simply, is the matter of personal importance to director Jean Luc
Courcoult; it is his unfailing source of inspiration. It was thus no coincidence that in 1979 he
founded a theatre company that performs almost exclusively on the streets of the world’s
major cities, including those that lie at the foot of the impressive backdrops of African or
Asian landscapes. The fact that his mindscape does not follow ordinary criteria in the least is
also evident in the Big Giant and Little Giantess and the XXL-sized marionettes that are designed for vast horizons. In the past several years the giants – as the protagonists of many
theatrical events - have become the company’s unmistakable trademark. It is precisely for
this pushing-and-shoving crowd that Jean Luc Courcoult makes his “theatre of the super
masses”; it is for them that he tells stories to which everyone can relate, be moved by and
relish in. The man behind Royal de Luxe speaks a universal language that refers to both stories from the past and events that affect today’s world. Some critics accurately refer to him
as the “creator of modern myths”, as a kind of visionary figure.
Could you please explain the role of the giants in your theatre again?
The first giant appeared in 1993 in Le Havre in the piece, “Le Géant tombé du ciel” (The Giant who fell from the Sky). Since then, the giants have been roaming the globe in order to
rouse the ur-myths that are inscribed in the collective consciousness. They mix epochs and
genres and simultaneously tell of the external connections as well as the essence of the stories. Recently, in 2007, the family of giants was in Iceland. In “Le geyser de Reykjavik” (The
Geyser of Reykjavik) a giant who has lost his mind pulls out the earth’s innards and breaks
up the road surface out of which geysers now bubble. In the end the Little Giant must interfere and chop off the Big Giant’s head; otherwise the Big Giant would cause the homeland
[Iceland] - build by giants - to explode. A bloody end based on Nordic tales and legends,
which are full of violence.
The giants of Royal de Luxe, the Big Giant and Little Giantess, tell tales; they appear and
disappear – and suddenly reappear when their audience no longer expects them to. It is a
saga that plays with time and time periods and is kept alive by expectations. A saga, which,
from event to event, recaptures figures, historical fragments and even machineries, activates
these and brings them into play. Royal de Luxe and its giants are like a living organism. (…)
My concept of theatre lives from how memories evolve, how yarns are spun. In the audience, for instance, there may be a seven-year old, who has never seen the giants before,
but perhaps has heard about them in stories told by her parents or grandparents, or by
friends or neighbors, who took pictures or made videos. The tales of Royal de Luxe are vibrant and unfold, even beyond the performances and parades; they are stories that keep
desire alive. At least I hope this is the case.
In October of this year you will start off the celebrations commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall in Berlin with another giant event.
In Berlin there will be the same figures but the story will naturally be different. Rather than
dealing with an explicitly political theme, we decided to deal with forced separation and the
reunion. The Big Giant from the West eventually reunites with the Little Giantess from the
East at the Brandenburg Gate. In the Little Giantess’s mailbag are letters and postcards,
which are intercepted and read by the Stasi, the secret police of former East Germany, and
which perhaps never reached their addressee. (…)
Performing popular theatre is what many directors dream of doing; why are you one
of the few, if not the only one, who does justice to this claim?
If you give me a minute or two, I will tell you why I make theatre. I had a very strict upbringing by my father, who was in the military. I hated school; the humiliation of getting bad
grades and the name calling and insults. I was painfully shy and did not dare open my
mouth. At 16 I had arrived at a total dead end. I was preparing to get a technical diploma – I
liked tools and machinery – when my French teacher suggested doing a play. All those interested in participating were asked to raise their hands. With my head hanging deep over
my desk, I raised my hand as if I were crying out for help. When I raised my head I saw that I
was the only one who had raised his hand. But voilà, I met other enthusiastic kids and I was
less lonely.
Was your experience with the theatre a kind of revelation?
Amid the mayhem of feelings in which I was at the time, it was a revelation, yes. I chose a
piece by a South African, a play against racism called “Non, aux Européens” (No, to Europeans) – and when I began to recite, I realized that everyone was captivated by my lines.
For the first time in my life I had the intense feeling of being alive; it was less a feeling of
power than of a shivering. I felt roots growing under my feet; I was outside of myself, without
having taken any drugs. I was high from the emotions, high from the people, whose astonishment I felt, their breathing, their gazes. What a triumph!
Did this first early experience show you how to open up to other people and their cultures and to speak to a large audience?
The words back then were simple (…), but they allowed me to break free of the negativity
that had built up inside me. They released me. I make theatre so that I can preserve the
emotional power of this first interaction with the audience. I wanted to tell social stories
through images that capture the heart. That seemed important to me. And making street
theatre seems to me to be the best way to reach all social classes. The challenge persists:
How can one speak to everyone – beyond what kind of education and personal experiences
each has as an individual. I quickly realized that few people go to the theatre, or, rather, that
it is always the same people. But I wanted to create theatre for the people [théâtre populaire]; I do not like acting in front of just 30 people. I wanted to get beyond the theatre, not
necessarily to make street theatre, but I wanted to be outside, I was claustrophobic. I wanted
to use the city as a natural set – or a pristine landscape, a village square in Africa, a cave
dwelling in the Shanxi region of China. (…)
Can one still speak of street theatre when speaking of Royal de Luxe?
Certain kinds of street theatre have a patent of nobility. More often than not, however, this
word brings to mind clowns or a kind of play-along theatre, animation, a word that automatically makes me think of reanimation. (…) As with all other types of theatre, street theatre
also has good and stupid things, like conjured up stories that bore me or simple ones that
exhaust me. To answer your question: When Royal de Luxe was founded together with
Didier Gallot-Lavallée in 1979, an irrevocable and political decision was made: No theatre in
a theatre [house]. When we announced this decision several members of the company left
because they would have had to beg to make a living. For four years we lived on the street,
but we learned a lot. Initially we were in Aix-en-Provence, later we settled in a castle near
Toulouse that belonged to a rich Canadian. A few of the theatre couples had children.
Eventually the Canadian told us that he would like to have his property back. Difficulties with
the mayor of Toulouse had also arisen. To put it simply: We needed to find another base. I
set out for Nantes to look for a ship. That was in 1989. (...)
And how has your financial situation been since your move to Nantes?
The company is very difficult to organize. In the production periods we need 50 designers
and builders, for performances and tours 130 people. The Big Giant weighs 2,5 tons and is
9,5 meters tall [without the supporting structure]. We need 31 “Lilliputians” [people who work
the marionettes] in order to make them walk. Remember, we travel all over the world! Sometimes the old dream reappears about how all are equal and about the collectiveness of our
early days, especially with the young people who join us, but that is not possible today! The
skills and know-how of the older members is invaluable, of people like Raymond Kajak,
Etienne Louvieaux, Jean-Yves Aschard and Matthieu Bony, to name our supporting pillars. A
theatre of this dimension could not exist without their inexhaustible spirit of ingenuity.
In addition to the saga of the giants, each year you go abroad for several months in
order to work with other artists; for instance you went to Cameroon in 1998 where you
created the “Petits contes nègres titre provisoire.” What did you learn from the Africans?
Laughing! I learned to laugh loudly when there is a problem. Giving into laughter frees one
from stress, from anxiety. Laughing teaches one to put things in perspective; it says that
there is no death, that one is alive and that one will prepare a good meal in the evening. That
is a philosophy. I prefer to laugh loudly than to take offence at something. I do not always
succeed in this, you know, I have a passionate character. (...)
Is your choice of themes politically motivated?
One could see a metaphor for the Pinochet regime in the rage of the rhinoceros that ravaged
Santiago de Chile. The basis for our project on the fall of the Berlin Wall is our fascination
with an event that changed the world. And, in our wish to celebrate Mexico’s independence
in 2010, our admiration for Zapata will be manifest, as well as our curiosity about the surrealistic attitude of General Santa Ana, who, amid great pomp and circumstance, had his leg
buried in the cathedral of Mexico City, the same leg that had to be amputated after a battle.
But our first concern is not political in nature. More than anything else, each creation is a
chance to question ourselves, to test our humanity. We do not wish to instruct. We make
theatre with tenderness and, when possible, with humor. (...)
Interview by Marie Comment. Conducted in early June 2009 in Nantes on the occasion of
the latest creation by Royal de Luxe, “La Petite Géante du Titanic et le Scaphandrier”.
(German version translated from the French by: editor of spielzeit’europa)
Team Royal de Luxe
Jean Luc Courcoult Founder, Artistic Director
Anne-Marie Vennel Artistic Collaboration
Gwenaëlle Raux Producer
Jean-Yves Aschard Technical Innovations
Michel Augier Music
Matthieu Bony Concept and Construction of the Deep Sea Diver
Joel Fleury Technical Director
Marilou Mayeur Costumes
Etienne Louvieaux Special Effects
Raymond Kajak Concept and Construction of the Boat
Organization and Administration
Julien Breheret, Tatiana Guigan, Véronique Legeas, Sabine Mayer, Valérie Ragueneau
Manufacture and Handling of the Figures and Objects
Yves Andrieu
Fabien Dumousseau
Laurent Antoniazza
Vivian Eon
Hervé Aubin
Joël Forget
Lionel Azambre
Francis Galle Tessonneau
Christophe Balay
Lauren Garnier
Maxime Barnabe
Nicolas Gros
Cédric Bernard
Harold Guidolin
Valerie Bigeard
Marie Guillemet
Léon Bony
Soledad Paloma Gutierrez
Nicolas Bottinelli
Olivier Jaubert
Stéphane Bourguignon
Sarah Lascar
Jean Michel Bourroux
Charlotte Le Bec
Jonathan Bru
Glen Le Bricquir
Jean Michel Caillebotte
Laurent Le Penru
Fabien Cipris
Susana Ribeiro
Mathias Colard
Franck Lebarbe
Johann Cornier
Patrick Lefebvre
Bassé Dao
Denis Merlet
Christophe Davy
Mathieu Miorin
Olivier Debrun
Florence Mounet
Philippe Delaitre
Céline Naud
Laurent Descotils
Jeanne Ott
Bruno Do Nascimento
Michael Pearson
Caroline Dougier
Julien Pellois
Laurent Pierredon
Jean-Claude Poujoulet
Nicolas Puybareau
Mathias Quesnel
Eddy Ramey
Pascale Remy
Christophe Rigal
Théophile Rigo
Anne Ripoche
Julien Roche
Hélène Sarrazin
Frédéric Simbolotti
Julien Talbot
Frédéric Tanari
Jean-François Terrien
Pierre Trachant
Martha Vanwarrghem
Pierre-Jean Verbraeken
Julie Verin
Charles Victor
Karl Warin
Laurent Weyl
Team spielzeit’europa | Berliner Festspiele
Berliner Festspiele
spielzeit’europa
Schaperstraße 24
10719 Berlin Tel
Tel +49 (0)30 254 89-0
Fax +49 (0)30 254 89-225
E-Mail [email protected]
www.spielzeiteuropa.de
Director of Berliner Festspiele Prof. Dr. Joachim Sartorius
Artistic Director of spielzeit’europa | Berliner Festspiele / Chief Executive Producer
Dr. Brigitte Fürle
Planner, Project Co-ordinator, Letter Project Astrid Schenka
Production Manager, Artist Liaison Albrecht Grüß
Budgeting, Financial Management Hanka Rörig
Trainees Lisa Görlitz, Frauke Surmann, Tina Turnheim
Editor Giselind Rinn
Press and Marketing
Goldmann Public Relations Berlin/Munich
Daniela Goldmann, Juliane Bluhm, Peter Gladitz, Ingo Sawilla,
Dijana Tanasić, Dorothea Volke, Sarah Myriam Wolf
Technical Realization
mediapool veranstaltungsservice GmbH
Management: Siegfried Paul, Petra Knoth
Project Management: Mirko Klitscher
Head of Marketing Kerstin Schilling
Marketing Gerlind Fichte
Coordination Marketing/Sponsoring Christian Kawalla
Assistance Marketing Sebastian Otto
Head of Editorial Office | Internet Frank Giesker
Assistance and Graphics Kordula Rüter
Assistance Julia Aschlener, Kathrin Hain, Juliane Kaul
Head of Hotel Office Heinz Bernd Kleinpaß
Assistance Frauke Nissen
Protocol Gerhild Heyder
Biography of Brigitte Fürle
Born in Vienna. Doctor of Philosophy, studied Theatre Studies and Romance Languages in
Vienna and Italy, journalist for numerous publications, curator for a range of festivals.
1990 – 1997 programme dramaturg for the Wiener Festwochen (artistic director Klaus Bachler), curating the old Halle G and Neues Theater.
Tenured lecturer at the Vienna Institute of Theatre Studies since 1995 on the subject New
Theatrical Forms.
1999 Research grant from the Canadian Government to study the works of Robert Lepage.
1999 – 2001 Dramaturg at the Bavarian State Theatre, Munich (drama director Eberhard
Witt).
2001 – 2006 Dramaturg/Head of Internal Communications and Member of Leading Team at
schauspielfrankfurt (artistic director Elisabeth Schweeger).
2002 – 2004 programme curator of the Young Directors Project powered by Montblanc at
the Salzburg Festival (drama director Jürgen Flimm).
Festival curator for 15th Festival of the Union of European Theatres 2006 at schauspielfrankfurt.
Since the 2006/2007 season Brigitte Fürle has been artistic director of the theatre and dance
department – spielzeit‘europa – at the Berliner Festspiele (artistic director Joachim Sartorius).
Credits
The images can be used for press release only within the coverage of the Royal de Luxe
spectacle »Le rendez-vous de Berlin – The Berlin Reunion« for the 20th anniversary of the
fall of the Berlin wall, October 2009, and by mentioning the photographer. Please always
mention the Copyright. For more images please check the Press-CD and for current images
on www.riesen-in-berlin.de/presse. If published, please send a copy to: Goldmann PR,
Zimmerstraße 11, 10969 Berlin, Germany.
Jean Luc Courcoult
Artistic Director Royal de Luxe
© Jordi Bover
Brigitte Fürle
Artistic Director spielzeit’europa
© Alexander Paul Englert
The Little Giantess
Royal de Luxe
Nantes, 2009
© Albrecht Gruess
The Little Giantess
Royal de Luxe
Nantes, 2009
© Albrecht Gruess
The Little Giantess
Royal de Luxe
Nantes, 2009
© Albrecht Gruess
The Big Giant
Royal de Luxe
Nantes, 2009
© Pascal Victor/ArtComArt
The Little Giantess
Royal de Luxe
Nantes, 2009
© Pascal Victor/ArtComArt
The Little Giantess
Royal de Luxe
Nantes, 2009
© Albrecht Gruess
The Big Giant
Royal de Luxe
Nantes, 2009
© Pascal Victor/ArtComArt
The Big Giant
Royal de Luxe
Nantes, 2009
© Pascal Victor/ArtComArt
ARTE
Media partner for “The Berlin Reunion“
Royal de Luxe has made a name for itself over the last 30 years by staging magical
street theatre performances involving giant marionettes that soar up to 15 metres above
the ground and are manoeuvred by dozens of helpers, giving them an incredibly life-like
air. To mark the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, spielzeit’europa – part of the
Berliner Festspiele – has invited the street arts company Royal de Luxe to captivate
Berliners with their gigantic marionettes.
ARTE will be following the “giants” on their journey through Berlin, from the moment they
arrive to their reunion at the Brandenburg Gate. ARTE Kultur will broadcast an update
on events at 8 p.m. every day from 28 September to 2 October.
The documentary “Royal de Luxe – The Giants in Berlin“ by Tita von Hardenberg
(ARTE/ZDF 2009) will give viewers an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes of the
giants’ stroll through the city. Broadcast on ARTE: Saturday, 3 October 2009 at 8:15
p.m.; repeated: Sunday, 18 October 2009 at 9:50 a.m.
Those who are not able to actually be in Berlin at the beginning of October have the
chance to see Royal de Luxe in their homes over the Internet at
www.arte.tv/royaldeluxe. From 1 to 4 October, ARTE Online will follow the giants on
their way through Berlin: An animated map of the city will highlight the giants’ path. Five
web reporters and webcams will record the puppets’ progress and the public’s progress
and the public’s reaction, and provide viewers with up-to-date images and information
about “The Berlin Reunion“.
Press contact
Katharina Strehl
ARTE Deutschland TV GmbH
+49 (0) 7221/93 69 19
[email protected]
ARTE Deutschland TV GmvH – Schützenstraße 1 – 76530 Baden-Baden
For more information go to: www.arte.tv/royaldeluxe
German Unity Day 2009:
GIANT-Engagement of Mercedes-Benz
Press Release
Date:
September 21, 2009
Berlin – On the twentieth anniversary of the Fall of the Wall the GIANTS
move the people in Berlin – and Mercedes-Benz Sales and Marketing
Organization Germany (MBVD) as the main sponsor supports the GIANTS.
On their four-day route through the capital city (October 1 - 4, 2009), the
gigantic, marionette-like figures of the French company Royal de Luxe tell
a moving tale, which can revive the emotions of the year 1989.
"The 20th anniversary is a real day of joy for our company. With the head office of
German sales and marketing we are at home in Berlin – and since the Fall of the
Wall Daimler AG has been engaged in the newly-formed German states,“ said
Peter Alexander Trettin, Chairman of the management of MBVD. "We are
therefore happy, that we can make a contribution to German Unity Day with a
great drama in the open air.“
With various projects, MBVD assumes responsibility in Berlin and in the newlyformed German states for the social and cultural environment. For example, it
supports the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival and in Berlin shows public spirit
in action, among other things, through engagement with the Festive Opera Gala
of the German Aids Foundation.
Even before the consummation of German unity, Daimler AG decided in favor of a
sustained engagement in Berlin and the newly-formed German states. Thus, even
before the Fall of the Wall the redesign began of the Potsdamer Platz as a modern
service and administrative center. In Ludwigsfelde, Daimler AG was able to link
up to the historic plant site with highly skilled and motivated employees and to
create a central production plant for transporters in Germany. Today, Daimler AG
employs a total of around 4.500 employees in plants, branches, and other
business sectors in the newly-formed German states (Berlin excluded).
Mercedes-Benz Sales Organization Germany, Communication, 10878 Berlin
Mercedes-Benz – A brand of Daimler AG
From its headquarters in Berlin, Mercedes-Benz Sales and Marketing Organization
Germany (MBVD) manages the sales, marketing and service in Germany of the
Mercedes-Benz, AMG, smart, Maybach, and Mitsubishi Fuso brands. With around 1,200
sales and service support bases MBVD provides its customers with a dense, nationwide
support and retail network.
Contact person:
Konstanze Fiola, Telephone: 030-2694-2012
E-Mail: [email protected]
Further information from Mercedes-Benz is available on the Internet:
www.media.daimler.com
Mercedes-Benz Sales Organization Germany, Communication, 10878 Berlin
Mercedes-Benz – A brand of Daimler AG
Page 2
News Release
Pressemitteilung
Berlin, 21 September 2009
TOTAL Deutschland GmbH
Schützenstraße 25
10117 Berlin
Total awakes the giants
As one of the main sponsors, Total is supporting the performance of the
legendary French street theatre company, Royal de Luxe, in Berlin. “As a
French company we are thrilled by the event ‘Die Riesen kommen’ (The
Giants Arrive). A French theatre group commemorating the most significant event in recent German history through its performance in the heart
of the German capital – I can’t think of a better way to illustrate the special
relationship between Germany and France and the close friendship between both societies,” explains Michel Mallet, CEO of TOTAL Deutschland.
At the same time the theatrical spectacle also recalls the company’s own
origins, since the fall of the Berlin Wall not only led to the reunification of
Germany but also gave the starting signal for the economic integration of
western and eastern Europe.
Since it took over MINOL, TOTAL Deutschland has been headquartered
in Berlin since 1993. With more than 600 employees, it is one of the largest employers in the city and, with more than 1000 service stations it operates the fourth largest network in Germany.
The company has close ties to Berlin and will develop these even more in
the future. Just a few weeks ago, TOTAL Deutschland decided to move its
headquarters in 2012 to a new urban district in the Heidestrasse, which
will become a major location within Berlin. TOTAL Deutschland is therefore increasing its presence in the heart of Berlin. “One of our main reasons for sponsoring the event, however, was simply to enable the citizens
of Berlin – in particular the families – to enjoy four wonderful days. I am
quite sure that watching the giant marionettes, which measure up to 15
metres high, make their way through Berlin will be an unforgettable spectacle for everyone,” says Michel Mallet.
****
The TOTAL Group is one of the world’s leading oil companies. With more than 1,000 locations, TOTAL
operates the fourth-largest service station network in Germany. Its extensive activities in marketing fuel
oil, lubricants, aviation fuels, LPG, asphalt and specialty products make TOTAL one of the leading players in the German oil market. The TOTAL Group is also active in Germany in oil processing, in particular with its refinery in Leuna, as well as in the chemicals sector. More about TOTAL in Germany on the
Internet at: www.total.de
Delphine Saucier
Director Corporate Communication
Tel.: +49 - 30 - 20 27 62 31
Fax: +49 - 30 - 20 27 62 15
[email protected]
www.total.de
Le rendez-vous de Berlin – Das Wiedersehen von Berlin
Das Theaterspektakel wird ermöglicht durch die großzügige Unterstützung
unserer Förderer, Sponsoren, Partner und Supporter
Gefördert durch
Im Rahmen von
aufgrund eines Beschlusses des Deutschen Bundestages
Hauptsponsoren
Partner
Supporter
Deutsche Post AG, Galeries Lafayette, Medialis Offsetdruck Berlin, Reederei Riedel, studiVZ,
Vivico Real Estate GmbH | Berlin
Medienpartner
Dank an
Wir danken
Bäcker-Innung Berlin, Berlin Partner GmbH, Berlin Tourismus Marketing GmbH, BEST Veranstaltungsdienste GmbH,
Big Image Systems, Dussmann das KulturKaufhaus, Französische Botschaft in Deutschland, Freie Volksbühne Berlin,
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Liegenschaftsfonds Berlin GmbH & Co. KG,
Martin-Gropius-Bau, Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin, Ricoh Deutschland GmbH, Verlagshaus Jacoby & Stuart.
The theatre and dance season of the Berliner Festspiele
1 – 4 October 2009
the berlin reunion
A giants’ tale for Berlin – narrated by Royal de Luxe
Directed by Jean Luc Courcoult
A creation by Royal de Luxe
Production spielzeit’europa | Berliner Festspiele
Open air on the streets and squares of central Berlin
Free entry
Photo Pascal Victor / ArtComArt
le rendez-vous de berlin
12 – 15 november 2009
German Premiere
EONNAGATA
Presented by Sadler’s Wells London
in association with Ex Machina & Sylvie Guillem
Co-produced by spielzeit’europa | Berliner Festspiele,
Festival TransAmériques, Montréal, and
Les Nuits de Fourvière, Lyon
Photo Érick Labbé
Conceived and performed by Sylvie Guillem,
Robert Lepage and Russell Maliphant
20 + 21 november 2009
Wolfgang Rihm
(Fassung 2008)
A music choreography project by
Ensemble Modern and Sasha Waltz & Guests
Concept and choreography Sasha Waltz
Presented by Sasha Waltz & Guests within
spielzeit’europa 2009
Photo Dominik Mentzos
JAGDEN UND FORMEN
World Premiere
EGOPOINT
Choreographed and directed by Nadja Saidakova
Music Luke Slater
Co-production Staatsballett Berlin and
spielzeit’europa | Berliner Festspiele
Photo Sabrina Theissen
28 + 29 november 2009
Overview 2009
4 + 5 december 2009
German Premiere
Michael Clark Company
Choreography Michael Clark
Co-production Dance Umbrella, barbicanbite09,
Michael Clark Company, Edinburgh International Festival,
Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg, and
Maison des Arts de Créteil
Photo Jake Walters
New Work 2009
10 – 13 december 2009
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch
(The Seven Deadly Sins)
Dance evening by Pina Bausch
Texts by Bertolt Brecht, Music by Kurt Weill
Directed and choreographed by Pina Bausch
With The Capital Dance Orchestra
Photo Oliver Look
DIE SIEBEN TODSÜNDEN
16, 17, 19 + 20 december 2009
IMPROMPTUS
Music by Franz Schubert
Directed and choreographed by Sasha Waltz
Presented by Sasha Waltz & Guests within
spielzeit’europa 2009
Photo Jochen Sandig
Sasha Waltz & Guests
on tour
dAS PULVERFASS
Directed by Dimiter Gotscheff
Tour production spielzeit’europa | Berliner Festspiele
Nominated for Der faust 2009 Theatre Award
1 + 2 Sept: Oslo, Contemporary Stage Festival
26 Sept: Belgrade, International Theatre Festival Bitef
additional tours planned
Photo Iko Freese / Drama
Dejan Dukovski