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Rummelplatz

Chemnitz Opera is bringing Werner Bräunig's "Rummelplatz" to the stage in a three-part project. The focus is on the world premiere of the opera adaptation by Ludger Vollmer and Jenny Erpenbeck in September 2025. The project is complemented by a writing workshop between Chemnitz and Łódź and a conference that embeds the novel in historical and current contexts.

Date & Time

t.b.a.

Location

Opernhaus Chemnitz
Theaterplatz 2, 09111 Chemnitz
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At night on the fairground, everything comes together: the escape from dreariness and hard work, the unleashing of desires and their anaesthetisation in intoxication. The swing boat is about to roll over, the world is upside down - where are these bismuth miners supposed to go with themselves in post-war East Germany?

East Germany? War and fascism are in their bones, material hardship determines their everyday lives, an authoritarian regime wants to take them over. But they still have dreams. - Werner Bräunig's protagonists search for a place in the world, fall into responsibility and conflict, develop and yet cannot free themselves from themselves. "Rummelplatz" brought Bräunig into conflict with the SED regime. The author was broken by it. His big question remains: How do people become shapers of society? Ludger Vollmer (composition) and Jenny Erpenbeck (libretto) are adapting the work for the opera stage for the first time.

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Organizer

Die Theater Chemnitz

Fairground

Theater Chemnitz is developing the multi-part project Rummelplatz. The starting point is Werner Bräunig's novel of the same name, which Ludger Vollmer (composition) and Jenny Erpenbeck (libretto) are adapting as a work of music theatre for the stage. The world premiere of the work is planned for autumn 2025. It will be about how people relate to social conditions, the political system and the thoughts and moods of their time. The project is part of the main programme of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025.

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European Capital of Culture The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media Free State of Saxony European Capital of Culture

This project is cofinanced by tax funds on the basis of the parliamentary budget of the state of Saxony and by federal funds from the Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media), as well as funds from the City of Chemnitz.