The überzwerg – Theater am Kästnerplatz:
the theatre for young audiences in the greater region Saar-Lor-Lux
We aim to create theatre for EVERYONE: big or small, no matter what nationality, skin colour, origin or religion, no matter what abilities they have, no matter what sexual orientation or gender identity. And that’s why our plays deal with current topics which address our young audiences in the reality of their everyday life: child poverty and classism, the climate crisis, gender diversity, feminism, power and the allure it has – to mention just a few.
That’s why we consistently have items in our repertoire which can be understood with little or no knowledge of the language. You’ll find a list of them here.
You can make a reservation, either using our on-line form or by telephone.
Mondays to Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
+49 (0)681 958 283-0
OUT OF THE BLUE [4+]
Based on the picture book by Jon Klassen
A seemingly perfectly ordinary day: a tortoise, an armadillo and a snake are looking for their favourite spot. They discuss: whose spot feels the best? Would they rather go somewhere else? Or should they stay, come what may? The three friends have no inkling yet of the unusual nature of the everyday. There is a strange tension in the air. Something isn’t quite right. But what on earth could it be?
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Based on Jon Klassen’s picture book Out of the Blue, this sensitive play explores the future, belonging and chance, as well as good and bad feelings and the search for one’s rightful place in life. It helps us to see the unpredictable and to anticipate the unexpected. A surprise and an adventure lie in wait around every corner or under every stone. The probability of something falling from the sky is small, admittedly. But never zero …
THE BEAR WHO WASN’T THERE [4+]
a production with theatrical performance and live illustration
after the picture book by Oren Lavie and Wolf Erlbruch
How many kinds of silence are there? Can you whistle faster than you walk? Do things still grow when you’re not watching them? Which way should I go? Who am I in fact? Excitingly, philosophically and with absurdist wit, „The bear who wasn’t there“ tells the story of the search for one’s own identity and the joys of (self-)awareness – lovingly and humorously illustrated by the artist Dorota Wünsch.
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Once upon a time there was an itch. It scratches itself and suddenly … it’s a bear! A bear who thinks positively though he wasn’t even there yet just a moment ago. In his bag, the bear finds a piece of paper which says: „Are you I?“ „Very good question“, he thinks to himself, and sets off to find out.
During his search the bear encounters the slow salamander and the indolent sofa ox and renews old friendships with them. He listens to his own silence and follows the sound it makes, delights in the idea that flowers are more beautiful than 38, and loses his way quite happily going straight ahead on the torpid tortoise taxi in the wondrous woods.
And at the end of it all – to his great joy – he finds himself.
Audiences are encouraged to go out and meet the world open mindedly, with curiosity and composure, and discover themselves in it.
THIS WAY! [4+]
A piece about paths, directions and boundaries
Three characters find their way along paths, detours and escape routes, criss-crossing the stage. Right or left? Which way to go, and when have they gone too far? Cut across, take a shortcut underneath, and then take a sharp turn! Straight ahead, well on their way in the wrong direction! But who actually decides which way to go?
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Perhaps everyone would rather go their own way. As we move forwards and backwards, we argue, try things out, discard them again, and help one another. Because where there’s a will, there’s a way. And isn’t the journey itself the destination?
Full of energy, the performers take to the stage and, through dance, tell a story of the courage to go down the wrong path, break down barriers and create new spaces together.
Where will it all lead? Come and see for yourself!
SPLASH! [4+]
Piece development with sound
Bubbling wildly or gurgling gently, pattering loudly or bubbling softly, rushing, clapping, splashing, roaring, foaming, flowing, bubbling, swelling, seeping, dripping … How different does water sound? What does its absence sound like? Can a waterfall really talk? And are still waters really always deep?
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Whether roaring sea, murmuring brook or pouring rain, whether with a straw, water hose or watering can, whether water organ, gargle music or drip experiment: together with the production team, the actors explore the acoustic properties of water as a source of life and approach the sound world of our most valuable resource in a fun, experimental and not at all dry way.
KNOCKS IN THE NIGHT [4+]
a production in the language of music
after the picture book by Tilde Michels and Reinhard Michl
Wanja lives in a little house on the edge of the woods. One cold, very stormy winter’s night a shivering rabbit suddenly knocks at the door. A little bit later he is followed by a fox, and then a bear as well. And because the snowstorm is raging so terribly, there they are, the four of them, sitting in Wanja’s living-room. Although each is afraid of the next one up in size, they end up spending the night together. But can it possibly work out?
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This classic children’s book by Tilde Michels (text) and Reinhard Michl (illustrations) is up among people’s absolutely favourite Christmas books. Empathetically and with plenty of humour, the story shows that in times of adversity peaceful coexistence is possible, even if those involved are all completely different.
In 1986, this book won the Gustav Heinemann Peace Prize for books for children and young people. Among other works, the German authoress Tilde Michels became known for her story „Kleiner König Kalle Wirsch“ („Kalle Wirsch, the Little King“).
SHAKE IT OFF! [11+]
Movement performance for three actors
What makes a ‘real man’? And who decides that anyway? Between heroism, coolness and endless absurdity, three characters feel their way through the curious world of images of masculinity – with a lot of movement, without words, but with a thousand question marks.
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What happens when someone turns up who doesn’t fit the mould, shakes up the norms and steps out of line? And what happens when the fragile order is shaken?
This extraordinary piece of theatre without spoken language is a wild whirl through the world of role clichés. It plays with identities, expectations and the search for freedom – surprising, entertaining and profound at the same time.
About us
The überzwerg – Theater am Kästnerplatz is one of Germany’s oldest theatres for young audiences. It was founded by independent artists in Saarbrücken in 1978 and has continued to grow since then. On the one hand, the founders were aiming to create theatre that takes children’s and young people’s reality seriously and incorporates it in the work that is done. On the other, they were aiming to give young people themselves a chance to act: to test their skill in an enclosed arena, develop their self-assurance and creativity and learn the basics of the performing arts.
The überzwerg – Theater am Kästnerplatz has remained true to those two aims to this very day. The repertoire consists of up-to-date works which have deliberately been written for certain age groups, with consideration being given to the fact that childhood and youth are in a process of continuous change. The repertoire comprises 12-13 productions, and four new ones are added every season.
Today, some 50 children and young people are members of our theatre clubs and act there under professional guidance. Each season, furthermore, we offer three to four children’s holiday workshops, in which children aged 8 to 10 can gather early experience on the stage.
If you’re interested in the youth clubs, just send us a mail at m.borchardt@ueberzwerg.de
We’ll be glad to reply in French, English or Spanish.