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  • Vote for “Schwester” / “Sister”


    Hannah Biedermann and Philip Schlomm, the two performers in “Sister” only need small gestures to narrate Jon Fosse’s wonderful book on the stage. The Norwegian author tells his story from two perspectives: one from that of a curious nine-year-old boy who strays onto “forbidden paths” with his three-year-old sister, and the other from that of his mother (his father only plays a minor role). Both the actors use minimal means to change their roles, but they never act “as if”. They perform.

    In the background of the set there is a large trapeze lit up in different colours and a huge triangle on which images can be projected. Downstage there are two chairs besides or in front of which, are two microphones on stands. Within this setting Claus Overkamp’s production has a carefully considered, at times decelerating, rhythm. Here large effects are created by minimal means. The live video in which a small pot containing a clump of grass becomes a jungle, plays an important role. The same applies to the precise timing of the use of microphones which are mostly reserved to tell the story from the adult perspective.

    Overkamp and the two actors place great value on a warm and friendly relationship with their young audience. Whereas Jon Fosse divides his story with subheadings, the director uses small choreographic interludes orientated on children’s games and this gives the show its own very particular dynamic. Apart from that, the team follows Fosse’s story very closely. “Sister” shows how narration and performance can be linked in an exemplary manner with the precisely calculated help of technology – and of course the personalities of Hannah Biedermann and Philip Schlomm.

    Manfred Jahnke