Who doesn't know him? Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, or Charlie Chaplin for short. He is arguably the most famous comedian in the world. When he received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in Hollywood in 1972, the audience applauded for a full twelve minutes. We are honoring Charlie Chaplin this season with three different film concerts.

Chaplin in Concert II: The Vagabond

Staatstheater Kassel

While reading classwork, a teacher is confronted with a racist remark that contradicts his humanistic convictions. He underlines it and finds himself facing not only the student's father but his entire class: they demand his suspension and accuse him of harboring anti-state sentiments. The teacher and his students, the youth being playfully prepared for the next war by the ruling regime, become increasingly estranged. But then, during summer camp, one of the students is murdered – and the search for the killer begins…

Youth Without God

tif - Theater at the Fridericianum

In Let's Talk About Trance , the dancers of TANZ_KASSEL explore punk, trance and ritual – a choreographic and dance-based overcoming of conventions in the close interplay of Eros and Thanatos.

Let's talk about Trance

In love, engaged, married, divorced – between neoconservatism and open relationship models, every life and love decision seems possible these days. Not so for Mozart's characters, children of their time, whose fidelity is put to the test in an obscure wager: Alfonso tests the relationships of his friends Ferrando and Guglielmo, because he doesn't believe in the fidelity of their partners, Fiordiligi and Dorabella.

Così fan tutte

Podcast link: https://youtu.be/4hagYvrYbuM

The Artelize Podcast and Kasper Holten - Pedefining Opera for the modern world

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d36M5Hi6O80

The Artelize Podcast - A legacy of innovation in Opera: Celebrating Marc A. Scorca

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59E40S_EQSY

The Artelize Podcast: A love letter that was never sent

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THv6htilWtI

The Artelize Podcast and Adolfo Corrado: Mediterranean flavors, opera and social media

In the 1990s, Kassel developed into Germany's third techno capital, alongside Frankfurt and Berlin. At its heart was a legendary club: Aufschwung Ost, later Stammheim. Here, a small group of techno enthusiasts created a nationwide pilgrimage site for the new subculture – with a distinctive design and even its own comic series. Internationally renowned artists like Dr. Motte and DJ Rush graced this iconic venue, celebrating its unique atmosphere across up to three floors and 5,000 square meters of dance floor. These were the carefree 90s: a spirit of optimism and a sense of transcendence during the long nights from Friday to Monday.

Rave (ua)

A mother and daughter live in a rented apartment building by the canal, outside the city. Rents are rising, and the mother reacts to every other crisis in her life with helplessness and lethargy. Neither the accusations nor the efforts of her daughter Vera help her.

Schamparadies (UA)

The blazing tales of sin and redemption come from radio and the Bible: they ignite sparks in commanding sermons and alluring pop music. A prodigal son, Jerry Lee Lewis, storms from the deepest provinces into the national spotlight, secretly marries his 13-year-old cousin, who will be just one of his seven wives, and is condemned. Years later, a night watchman at Graceland—Elvis Presley's estate—watches a 1976 Lincoln Continental snarl as it digs through the gravel of the driveway and, after a final burst of acceleration, slams into the gate. The driver shouts in a voice of equally resounding chrome: "I want to see Elvis! Just tell him, the killer's here."

Great Balls of Fire! - Die Jerry Lee Lewis Story

Theaterstübchen - Kassel

Together we will explore the school (yard) dance performance – WAKE UP!. In the subsequent workshop led by dance teacher Ilana Reynolds, we will playfully and through dance translate what we have seen from the performance into our own movements.

Workshop Mini Plus

Sixteen Words takes us on the journey of Mona, a young journalist who, triggered by the loss of her grandmother, finds herself in an identity crisis and travels to Iran. This journey, which stretches from the familiar streets of Germany to the heart of Iran, is not only a farewell, but also a celebration of life and a shimmering self-reflection. It is an odyssey of self-discovery, artfully presented in sixteen chapters, each titled with a single Persian word that captures the essence of the story and defies translation.

Sixteen words

The Japanese word 開花 (Kaika), along with the concept of blooming, is the theme of TANZ_KASSEL's season. Kaika is composed of the characters 開 (opening, unfolding) and 花 (flower) and means flowering or blossoming. It describes the moment when a flower opens its bud and blooms in all its glory. This meaning can be understood both literally and metaphorically—as a symbol of growth, unfolding, and the beginning of something new. It becomes a metaphor for life, which blossoms amidst death and decay but can never last. A fleeting moment of elevation that is inevitably swallowed by darkness.

The Whole And Its Parts (at)

This is what the famous poet Heinrich Heine writes in his verse epic Germany. A Winter's Tale , when he travels to his beloved, yet hated, Germany in 1843 to visit his mother. He has already been living in French exile for twelve years and longs for his homeland: Heine, the Jew, the Christian, the German, the Frenchman, the Romantic, the eroticist, the ironic vanquisher of Romanticism – and the political writer.

Jammertal Rest Area (UA)

Virginia Woolf called it "the most boring novel in the world." Kurt Tucholsky compared this work to a Maggi bouillon cube that would be brewed mediocrely for generations.

Ulysses

"Which of you loves me most?" King Lear asks his three daughters, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia, intending to divide his kingdom fairly among them after their sworn declarations of love. But he miscalculates: his beloved daughter, Cordelia, rejects the love contest and demands honesty instead. Lear—beside himself with rage—banishes her and divides his land between his other two daughters. The condition: he and his retinue must be fed and housed by one of them each month. But Goneril and Regan quickly tire of this demand, want to be rid of him, and seize the first opportunity to depose him. The once great king, reduced to bare human existence, descends further into madness, abandoned by everyone—except his court jester. Then news arrives from France that the exiled Cordelia has raised an army to rescue him and fight against her own sisters. An unprecedented spiral of violence is set in motion. At its end, everyone is dead. Almost.

König Lear

Kassel, 2006: Markus Zimmer died of multiple organ failure at the age of only 41. Friends and family could not save him from his addiction. A brilliant musician, a sensitive person, known for his style that subverted gender stereotypes, his extravagant lifestyle, and his music.

Welcome to THE BATES Motel (UA)

To the world-famous strains of Verdi's triumphal march, Kassel's new opera ship sets sail on its voyage through the ocean of the global market and the shallows of its global crises. What begins as a sensual cruise on our theatrical stage tanker in Kassel's new INTERIM venue will soon become the benchmark for a future of experiential music theater. And no sooner have we set sail than some are already grumbling that the boat is full, while others are demanding new defensive capabilities to preserve the current prosperity on deck.

Despite its crew of over 200 people—including the chorus, extra chorus, and supernumeraries, the state orchestra, the stage orchestra, the famous six distant trumpets, and the international cast of outstanding soloists—this musical ship of dreams is already listing badly on its maiden voyage with Giuseppe Verdi's Aida . For it soon becomes clear that Verdi's ecstatic love story is primarily a parable of European imperialism—especially in the popular choral scenes with their biting musical jabs at the war-mongering Prussian military and its blind obedience. This imperialistic quest for a place in the sun evokes memories of the German Empire, forcibly founded by Prussia in 1871, the year of the premiere, which is now confined to the walls of the Kassel Jägerkaserne, built in 1910. On its former parade ground, the new INTERIM of the formerly Prussian, now Hessian State Theatre Kassel will open in autumn 2025 with Verdi's monumental work.

Aida

The trio, led by Japanese vibraphonist Taiko Saito and her experienced Berlin colleagues, first took to the stage in 2021. Their debut album focused on freely improvised music. For their second recording, they will turn their attention to tradition. At Jazz im TiF, they will perform works by jazz vibraphone legends such as David Friedman, Mike Mainieri, and Gary Burton. The WALD Trio will rearrange these pieces and juxtapose them with their own compositions, conceived as a kind of musical response. Immediately following their Jazz im TiF concert, they will head into the studio.

Guest performance: Jazz at the TiF Taiko Roder Griener

Be brave and get off the couch! DANCE_Along! is a dance workshop for all dance enthusiasts who want to take their first steps in guided improvisations and explore the diverse movements of contemporary dance. No prior experience is necessary, just bring comfortable clothing and something to drink. Meet 15 minutes before the start at the stage entrance (Du-Ry-Straße 1).

Dance Along!

Zornfried Castle is a gathering place for the leading thinkers of the New Right: A lady of the castle philosophizes in a nationalist vein, groups of young men engage in martial training, and a mysterious poet crafts verses dripping with blood, consecration, and kitsch. And time and again, connections to a resurgent new party emerge. This also attracts critical journalists who grandiosely cover the New Right cultural center—losing all objectivity in the process and doing a disservice to democracy.

Zornfried (UA)

The clock is ticking, and on the slippery political stage, every maneuver seems possible. The self-proclaimed "democratic center" is tearing down firewalls, multi-billionaires are using chainsaws to dismantle government agencies, academia, and international aid, and then bask in the glory.

Thick D

Sherwood Forest in the 14th century: Legend has it that Robin Hood lives here, free and lawless in the heart of the deep woods. Every arrow hits its mark when Robin Hood shoots it, every trick succeeds when Robin Hood plans it. Robin gathers a band of outlaws around him, and together they fight for justice. They take the money from the wealthy nobility and distribute it among the poor and exploited peasants. They are swift, clever, and no adventure is safe from them.

Events in Kassel this month

Chaplin in Concert II: Th...

Staatstheater Kassel

Youth Without God

Staatstheater Kassel

Let's talk about Trance

Staatstheater Kassel

Così fan tutte

Staatstheater Kassel

The Artelize Podcast and ...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast - A ...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast: A l...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast and ...

Artelize

Rave (ua)

Staatstheater Kassel

Schamparadies (UA)

Staatstheater Kassel

Great Balls of Fire! - Di...

Staatstheater Kassel

Workshop Mini Plus

Staatstheater Kassel

Sixteen words

Staatstheater Kassel

The Whole And Its Parts (...

Staatstheater Kassel

Jammertal Rest Area (UA)

Staatstheater Kassel

Ulysses

Staatstheater Kassel

König Lear

Staatstheater Kassel

Welcome to THE BATES Mote...

Staatstheater Kassel

Aida

Staatstheater Kassel

Guest performance: Jazz a...

Staatstheater Kassel

Dance Along!

Staatstheater Kassel

Zornfried (UA)

Staatstheater Kassel

Thick D

Staatstheater Kassel

Robin Hood

Staatstheater Kassel