THE MAKING OF BERLIN – 2022
After a performance of Zvizdal during the Berliner Festspiele, the makers of BERLIN, meet a spirited, elderly German. They get talking and are immediately fascinated by his improbable life. Several discussions and weeks later, they decide to dedicate the final part of their Holocene Cycle, in which they have created a series of city portraits, to him - with Wagner's Götterdämmerung in a crucial role.
The making of Berlin is a portrait of a city, constructed around the story of a Berliner who worked as an orchestral conductor at the Berlin Philharmonic. A man with an exceptional story who would like nothing more than to complete an unfinished chapter of this life. The makers want to help the man realise his dream, with the aid of amongst other the orchestra of Opera Ballet Flanders and radio station Klara. But all too soon they uncover cracks in his story.
photo © Gordon Schirmer
★★★★★ 'The brilliant theatre film The making of Berlin is overwhelming from start to finish.' – Gilles Michiels in De Standaard
[critic's choice] 'Wonderful how beauty can turn everything upside down.' – Tuur Devens for Theaterkrant
'The making of Berlin is an overwhelming and poignant ode to the power of stories and how they can lift people above themselves and bring them together - in a theatre, for example. It is an ode to the multilayered, multiform, and true stories that we tell ourselves to stay afloat, justify our choices, and survive.' – Natalie Gielen for Etcetera
★★★★★ 'A feast of confusion.' – Jowi Schmitz in Trouw
★★★★★ 'One of the most important productions of this year.' – Hein Janssen in De Volkskrant
★★★★☆ 'Ingeniously layered.' - Ron Rijghard in NRC
The making of Berlin


Info
Credits
direction | Yves Degryse | with | Friedrich Mohr, Martin Wuttke, Stefan Lennert, Werner Buchholz, Alisa Tomina, Krijn Thijs, Chantal Pattyn, Symphonic Orchestra Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Alejo Pérez, Yves Degryse, Caroline Große, Michael Becker, Claire Hoofwijk, Alejandro Urrutia, Marek Burák, Marvyn Pettina, Farnaz Emamverdi, team BERLIN: Jane Seynaeve, Eveline Martens, Jessica Ridderhof, Geert De Vleesschauwer, Sam Loncke, Manu Siebens, Kurt Lannoye, team Opera Ballet Vlaanderen: Jan Vandenhouwe, Lise Thomas, Eva Knapen, Christophe De Tremerie |
video and video editing | Geert De Vleesschauwer, Fien Leysen, Yves Degryse |
internship video editing | Maria Feenstra |
drone shots | Yorick Leusink, Solon Lutz |
behind the scenes footage | Fien Leysen |
scenography | Manu Siebens | construction set | Manu Siebens, Ina Peeters, Rex Tee, Joris Festjens |
set design and construction film | Jessica Ridderhof, Klaartje Vermeulen, Ruth Lodder, Ina Peeters |
musical composition and mixing | Peter Van Laerhoven |
live music | Rozanne Descheemaeker or Matea Majic/Diechje Minne | music film | Peter Van Laerhoven, Tim Coenen, Symphonic Orchestra Opera Ballet Vlaanderen conducted by Alejo Pérez |
mixing orchestra | Maarten Buyl | sound design and mixing | Arnold Bastiaanse |
sound recordings | Bas De Caluwé, Maarten Moesen, Bart Vandebril |
translation and subtitling | Dorien Beckers, Maria Feenstra, Annika Serong, Nadine Malfait, Isabelle Grynberg |
technical coordination | Manu Siebens, Geert De Vleesschauwer, Marjolein Demey |
technicians | Bregt Janssens, Jurgen Fonteijn |
production management | Jessica Ridderhof | production assistance germany | Daniela Schwabe, Gordon Schirmer |
research wagner | Clem Robyns, Piet De Volder |
internship research | Annika Serong |
photography | Koen Broos, Gordon Schirmer |
business management [from 2022 on] | Tine Verhaert |
business management [until 2021] | Kurt Lannoye | day-to-day coordination and production | Jane Seynaeve |
distribution | Eveline Martens | communications | Sam Loncke |
production | BERLIN |
Coproductions
DE SINGEL [Antwerp, BE], le CENTQUATRE-PARIS [FR], Opera Ballet Vlaanderen [BE], C-TAKT [Limburg, BE], VIERNULVIER [Ghent, BE], Theaterfestival Boulevard [Den Bosch, NL], Berliner Festspiele [DE] with the support of the Flemish Government, Sabam for Culture, Tax Shelter of the Belgian federal government via Flanders Tax Shelter BERLIN is associated artist at DE SINGEL [Antwerp, BE] and artiste associé at le CENTQUATRE-PARIS [FR]
DE SINGEL [Antwerp, BE], le CENTQUATRE-PARIS [FR], Opera Ballet Vlaanderen [BE], C-TAKT [Limburg, BE], VIERNULVIER [Ghent, BE], Theaterfestival Boulevard [Den Bosch, NL], Berliner Festspiele [DE] with the support of the Flemish Government, Sabam for Culture, Tax Shelter of the Belgian federal government via Flanders Tax Shelter BERLIN is associated artist at DE SINGEL [Antwerp, BE] and artiste associé at le CENTQUATRE-PARIS [FR]
Thanks to
Linnen Berlin, Xaveriuscollege, Zaal Billy, corso, Klara, Oderberger Hotel, Het nieuwstedelijk, De Munt - La Monnaie, Cornelius Puschke, Lisa Homburger, Jill Barnes, Aino El Sohl, Natasha Padabed, Max-Philip Aschenbrenner, Carena Schlewitt, Myriam De Clopper, Barbara Raes, Dirk Rochtus, Anneleen Hermans, Mark Reybrouck, Karen Vermeiren, Guido Spruyt, Hannes D'Hoine, Niels Kloet, Roel Gelderland, Mark Dedecker, Eric Mostert/VMOO, Cees Vossen
Linnen Berlin, Xaveriuscollege, Zaal Billy, corso, Klara, Oderberger Hotel, Het nieuwstedelijk, De Munt - La Monnaie, Cornelius Puschke, Lisa Homburger, Jill Barnes, Aino El Sohl, Natasha Padabed, Max-Philip Aschenbrenner, Carena Schlewitt, Myriam De Clopper, Barbara Raes, Dirk Rochtus, Anneleen Hermans, Mark Reybrouck, Karen Vermeiren, Guido Spruyt, Hannes D'Hoine, Niels Kloet, Roel Gelderland, Mark Dedecker, Eric Mostert/VMOO, Cees Vossen
Press
- / NL / De Morgen, Ewoud Ceulemans, 13.05.2022 [aankondiging] (773.04 KB)
- / NL / Theaterkrant, Tuur Devens, 16.05.2022, keuze van de criticus [recensie] (263.07 KB)
- / EN / Theaterkrant, Tuur Devens, 16.05.2022, criticus choice [review] (155.93 KB)
- / FR / Theaterkrant, Tuur Devens, 16.05.2022, choix de la critique [critique] (119.93 KB)
- / NL / Etcetera, Natalie Gielen, 17.05.2022 [recensie] (7.99 MB)
- / EN / Etcetera, Natalie Gielen, 17.05.2022 [review] (153.91 KB)
- / FR / Etcetera, Natalie Gielen, 17.05.2022 [critique] (171.12 KB)
- / NL / Het Nieuwsblad, Gilles Michiels, 20.05.2022, ★★★★★ [recensie] (304.29 KB)
- / NL / De Standaard, Gilles Michiels, 23.05.2022, ★★★★★ [recensie] (164.80 KB)
- / EN / De Standaard, Gilles Michiels, 23.05.2022, ★★★★★ [review] (148.53 KB)
- / EN / De Standaard, Gilles Michiels, 23.05.2022, ★★★★★ [critique] (161.34 KB)
- / NL / De Volkskrant, Hein Janssen, 07.08.2022, ★★★★★ [recensie] (1.42 MB)
- / NL / Trouw, Jowi Schmitz, 10.08.2022, ★★★★★ [recensie] (874.37 KB)