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
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.
THE BEAR WHO WASN’T THERE will be back on our repertoire from December 2024
THE BIG WORD FACTORY [4+]
a dance work for three after the picture book by Agnès de Lestrade and Valeria Docamp
Big words are not always necessary. In “The Big Word Factory”, in simple language, the authoress Agnès de Lestrade has a touching story to tell about the treasures of life. On that model, with a cast of three from überzwerg, the choreographer and dancer Katharina Wiedenhofer has developed a piece for our young audiences in which the world of emotions is expressed in dance and movement – without any words at all!
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People don’t talk much in the land of the big word factory. Words are highly prized. You have to buy them and swallow them before you can speak them. Only the rich can afford them. Young Paul lives in this strange land and is in desperate need of words so that he can open up his heart to the beautiful Marie.
But how is he going to be able to do it? He’d need a fortune for all the things he’d like to say to her! After all, most of the words that are to be found in the rubbish or the closing-down sales are just useless. However, there are also days on which words actually fly through the air. Paul succeeds in capturing three little ones with his butterfly net. He wants to give them to Marie as a birthday present. When the big day comes, he plucks up all his courage and says them – and sometimes the only thing that matters is how you say what you say …
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”).
KNOCKS IN THE NIGHT will be back on our repertoire from December 2024
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.