Lighting Designer

„Nichts ist verführerischer für den Menschen als die Freiheit seines Gewissens, aber nichts ist für ihn auch qualvoller.“
Wie viel Freiheit will der Mensch. Also wirklich. Hält er sie überhaupt aus? Vor fast 150 Jahren hat Fjodor Dostojewskij diese brisante Frage in seiner Erzählung vom „Großinquisitor“ gestellt. Spontan würden wir sagen: Freiheit ist das höchste Gut, nach dem alle streben. Für ihre Memoiren wählte Angela Merkel als Titel ausgerechnet: „Freiheit“. „Freedom“ war der Wahlkampfsong von Kamala Harris bei der US-Wahl 2024 gegen Donald Trump; doch offenbar wog der Wunsch nach Freiheit weniger schwer als der Wunsch nach Führung und Autorität, nach dem vermeintlich starken Mann, der Orientierung und Sicherheit verspricht, auch um den Preis vieler Freiheiten. Und wenn wir tief in uns hineinhorchen: Überfordert uns die Freiheit nicht auch oft? Wäre es nicht angenehmer, jemand würde uns all das abnehmen?
Dostojewskij berichtet von Jesus, der zur Zeit der spanischen Inquisition auf die Erde zurückkehrt, vom katholischen Großinquisitor, der ihn einsperrt und verhört, und von einem brennenden Kuss. Ensemblemitglied Michael Lippold holt die Geschichte als teuflischen Monolog in den Ballhof.

The Grand Inquisitor

Ballhof Two

"She is a glorious woman, she is a divine woman. I'm at a loss for words if I describe her any further."
At the outbreak of World War II, the young Jewish actress and singer Lola Blau emigrated from Vienna via Linz and Basel to the USA—and after an alcohol-fueled career as a show star, she returned to Vienna in dismay. Antisemitism is surprisingly unextinct here—despite everything...
What Georg Kreisler explores in his one-woman cult musical " Today Evening: Lola Blau" is reminiscent of his own career, the life he had lived up to that point. Kreisler thus transfers his own biography onto that of a fictional woman! In 1971, Kreisler's then-wife, Topsy Küppers, approached the darkly humorous, grumpy singer and asked for a solo performance.

Tonight: Lola Blau

Ballhof, Hanover

"Hello? Is anyone there?"
Everything is ready for a magnificent play with two clowns and a musician: the stage is set, the costumes are finished, the make-up is perfect! A technician quickly checks that everything is set up. But where is the audience? It should be sold out. But today everything is a little different. Who's playing the piano? Who owns the coffee cup floating through the air? And which ghost is sneaking off with the extension cord? Are the actors here now, or are we just supposed to believe them? Are we really here? "The Invisible Man" is all about what you can't see. And secretly, it's also about how wonderful it can be not to be seen. This production is fun for four-year-olds as well as for adult audiences. All you need is the desire to be seduced by the magic tricks of the Jetse Batelaan. After all, if the actors claim the audience isn't there, there's nothing they can do about it, right? A little Las Vegas in Hanover never hurt anyone.

The Invisible Man

Ballhof

"There's no secret knowledge that makes us mothers. But everyone expects us to never make a mistake in handling our child from the moment of birth because we supposedly have an instinct for it."
Helene does the unthinkable: Without a word, she gets up from dinner and throws herself from the balcony. Her family is shocked. Sarah, Helene's best friend, wants to help and becomes a support for her completely overwhelmed father, Johannes—just until everyone has solid ground under their feet again. Or so she thinks. But the months pass. Sarah's own life naturally fades into the background, and the simmering feeling of rage forces its way to the surface. Lola, Helene's daughter, feels this rage even more intensely; her accusation is directed against the patriarchy itself. She blames the system for her mother's death and decides to declare war on the overwhelming enemy.

Lighting Designer

Erik Sonnenfeld

Events

Past events

Oct 12 - Nov 6, 2025

The Grand Inquisitor · Staatstheater Hannover

10 - 25 Oct, 2025

Tonight: Lola Blau · Staatstheater Hannover

About

Erik Sonnenfeld hasn't added a bio