Lofft Das Theater is OPEN! NOW!

I am sure many in Leipzig are as happy as I am about what’s coming! Lofft Das Theater has moved to a bigger location – at Spinnerei – and is about to stage a new dance and performance festival there. I got a chance to see how the space is progressing and find out more about this first fest since the move, aptly named OPEN! NOW! It runs from 28 March til 18 April 2019, and is just what you’d expect from Lofft: hard hitting and dynamic.

The buzzword is “more.”

There are more lights, more sound, more seats, etc., in order to offer more options at Lofft Das Theater. The small room that used to hold about 30 can now hold 50. This is the room where you often sit on the floor of the stage.

The changes will give Lofft the opportunity to bring in more international companies, as well as better accommodating their staff.

In general, there is more space, and that means the staff doesn’t have to dodge trams as they go to back and forth between buildings. There is now a rehearsal room that is the exact size of the performance area. They used to have to find places in other venues in town to rehearse.

Oh, and more parties! At least three are planned for during the festival, and definitely one on opening night. Among the events will be panel discussions about the pieces and workshops.

What we won’t lose in the bigger location is the essence of Lofft Das Theater. It is still small enough to remain intimate. I am certain that it will remain true to its mission to bring quality independent theater to Leipzig.

So what are my picks for OPEN! NOW! at Lofft Das Theater?

Candy’s Camouflage

Sat 30 Mar 10 PM (party after)
Sun 31 Mar 6 PM (talk after)

I am a huge Warhol fan and wouldn’t miss something inspired by Warhol Superstar Candy Darling. Am curious to see the Chelsea Hotel used as a base to explore femininity in a variety of forms. What’s real? What’s illusion? And what’s metamorphose?

Liquid Loft combines first-rate choreography with wid- sweeping video visuals that draw you in. I’m fascinated to see what they do with this.

Physics and Phantasma (feature photo)

Sat 13 Apr 8 PM
Sun 14 Apr 6 PM

One guy on stage. No set. Just voice (in English) and an occasional effect. How can one be so transported with so little? The piece takes place in your imagination. Iggy Lond Malmborg knows just how to lead us there and what to do with us once we arrive. This look at humanity and its inconsistencies is all too real and disturbing. Not suitable for persons under the age of 18.

Jess Curtis and Claire Cunningham. (Photo by www.hagolani.com)

The Way You Look (At Me) Tonight

Wed 17 Apr 8 PM
Thu 18 Apr 8 PM

Our perceptions color our view of the world. Sometimes it’s good to step outside of them and see how others see things. I am very ready to immerse myself into this piece. I am particularly interested in seeing Claire Cunningham work with her mentor, Jess Curtis. This mutual respect is the basis of the way forward in our society. What a wonderful collaboration with author and philosopher Dr. Alva Noë, video artist Yoann Trellu, composer Matthias Herrmann, and dramaturge Luke Pell.

“A hugely accessible work about access, expanding a term typically associated with ramps and lifts into a mode of looking at the world, a method of negotiation, a way of figuring out what others need, and how we might provide for them.” – Exuent Magazine