A table, an armchair, a bottle. And a glass of wine, which the waiter serves to the guest: that's the starting point. But who is serving whom? And who is serving whom? Who ultimately pays the bill, or who cuts someone else's? In the work of British writer and director Tim Etchells (Forced Entertainment), power dynamics are explored in numerous variations – and the longer the scene lasts, the more sinister the humor becomes. In this sense, master and servant explore the manifold pitfalls of hierarchical constellations. Following its German-language premiere at the 2024 Vienna Festival, the table, armchair, and wine are now being moved to Depot 3. The suspense mounts as to who will ultimately foot the bill in this slapstick comedy.

The bill

Carlswerk

"You tell us when to sit and when to stand. You tell us when to move and when to be still for a moment. You tell us when we're allowed to get up from the table. You teach us to say please. And you teach us to say thank you. You teach us how to look nice and clean. You explain to us that there are bad people in the world. That monsters don't really exist. That words are just words." THAT NIGHT FOLLOWS DAY turns the world upside down: A chorus of children between the ages of 8 and 14 becomes the main character. They have only recently been thrown into life, and immediately they find rules and values ​​there. But the children turn the tables. They reverse statements, reject them, and reformulate them. And the longer you listen to this set of values ​​with the reversed source, the more audibly an unspoken "Why?" enters the stage: The questioning of what is—and what could just as easily be different! Deeply moving and exceptionally funny. THAT NIGHT FOLLOWS DAY was first produced by Victoria Deluxe in Ghent, Belgium, in 2007 and has since been performed in many countries and languages. For the Cologne premiere, the text will be updated for a group of Cologne children. Tim Etchells is an internationally renowned writer, director, and artist. He is particularly well-known as the leader of the performance group Forced Entertainment.

Richard Lowdon

Events

Upcoming events

Apr 21 - May 18, 2026

The bill · Bühnen Köln

Apr 26 - May 15, 2026

That Night Follows Day · Bühnen Köln

Past events

Apr 21 - May 18, 2026

The bill · Bühnen Köln

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