Innovative Berlin-based theatre company florschütz & döhnert are bringing their latest production Rawums (:) to this year’s WeeFestival in Toronto.
Melanie Florschütz, a pioneering figure in contemporary puppet theatre, and her partner Michael Döhnert formed the company in 2004. Florschütz had studied the art of puppetry in Stuttgart, Germany; and Döhnert was a composer, guitarist and singer. Working with Döhnert, Florschütz developed a distinct style that blends puppetry, object theatre, and visual arts to create evocative and thought-provoking performances.
The company’s innovative work, which explores themes of human existence, emotions, and relationships, uses minimalistic — yet highly expressive — puppetry techniques. Acclaimed for their unique storytelling and ability to engage audiences of all ages, their performances have been showcased at international festivals, establishing them as leading innovators in contemporary puppet theatre.
At the centre of florschütz & döhnert’s productions is the idea of the actor as author. Their shows for children feature a synthesis of music, puppet and object theatre, and human acting. The subject of the play determines the theatrical form – with the pair always aiming for both poetry and diversity. According to Florschütz & Döhnert, “rawums” is the sound of something falling. This makes sense, since their new production of that name explores the laws of gravity and the different ways objects fall. In the show, two curious characters explore and discover the laws of gravity. Why does a feather hover gently in the air, while a bag crashes heavily on the ground? And what about a house? A chair? Or even a person? Can they fly? This dynamic duo are determined to find out!
Premiering at WeeFestival, Rawums (:) promises to captivate audiences with its unique blend of physical theatre and object manipulation. And the show’s inspiration came from an unexpected source. “It was a mother who came to us after a children’s theater performance, and asked why we couldn’t work on the topic of ‘falling’ next,” Florschütz recalls. “Every day, children experience themselves or an object falling down. So why not develop a play about it for children aged 2+ years, and share the experience? Because gravity affects us all.”
The creative process behind Rawums (:) was a journey of discovery and experimentation. “We started the work with nothing but this idea, and didn’t know how difficult it would be to turn a physical phenomenon into a theatrical performance,” Florschütz explains. The initial stages involved experimenting with the “falling” of objects and their own bodies, leading to the realization that falling down can, indeed, be painful. This physical experience gave rise to the idea of “flying,” which added a new dimension to the exploration: “That was the first important turning point in our process: that there is not only a ‘down,’ but also an ‘up’!”
Florschütz describes a second pivotal moment in the development process: “A man drops a feather, then a small sandbag – and sings the same melody each time. We see the feather dancing back and forth in the air to the melody and slowly floating to the ground. And then in contrast, the sandbag falling to the ground so quickly that the singer doesn’t even have time to let the melody ring out.” This playful interaction between opposites—falling and flying, heaviness and lightness—became a cornerstone of the show, forming a dialogue that resonated with audiences –especially children. “When we first performed the scene in front of an audience of children, they couldn’t stop laughing!” Florschütz smiles.
In its finished form, the performance features a man and a woman exploring all possible ways of falling and flying, by testing the rules of physics with props like gas-filled balloons and objects made of paper. “The process of creating our show Rawums (:) took a long time,” notes Florschütz. “We worked on several versions of the piece, and it took us almost 1.5 years, until we were satisfied with the result”. The delightful result is a poetic, whimsical performance where “the impossible becomes possible.”
Accessibility and engagement are another central feature of florschütz & döhnert’s approach. “All shows of ours invite the audience to experience theatre with their individual prior experience and abilities,” Florschütz emphasizes. The company’s productions rely on visually comprehensible, associative language – meaning they work without the information of words, which makes them “open to people of all ages”. Florschütz explains that, beyond language skills, the theatre shows also offer a “reading” between the lines, and complex sensory impressions on several levels – which can be experienced according to ability. “The resonance from deaf and hard-hearing people, people with limited mobility, cognitive and mental impairments, and other disabilities reflects good barrier-free access,” she notes, with evident satisfaction.
Returning to the WeeFestival with Rawums (:) is a special moment for the company, after bringing Ssst! Secrets of a White Rabbit in 2018: “It’s fantastic that we have the chance to come back to WeeFestival with another show; it gives us a family feeling!” Florschütz enthuses. “And with Rawums (:), we are bringing a mixture of physical theatre and theatre with objects. It is a kind of ‘comedy’ that plays with physical laws and shows the imaginative possibilities of theatre.” The pair’s connection with Lynda Hill, the festival’s director, remains strong — especially after the challenges posed by the pandemic. And Florschütz and her partner are “all the more pleased that we are coming just in time for the festival’s tenth anniversary!”
Ultimately, Florschütz has simple aspirations for the show: she hopes that young audiences and their families will take away a sense of curiosity and wonder. “In Rawums (:) everything has its right to exist: falling as well as flying, the possible and the impossible, reality and fantasy. We invite you to embark on a journey together – into an in-between, a space between above and below. Let us question and explore the world with curiosity!”
And her joy in creating theatre for young audiences is why she has no doubt audiences will rise to this challenge: “The openness, immediacy, and curiosity of young children as an audience is fantastic. Their experience of the world inspires us as artists. It is an ambitious pleasure to create theater shows for them!”
Rawums (:) has a running time of 30 minutes and will be performed at Tarragon Theatre ExtraSpace. School performances are on June 5 – 6, and public performances are on June 6 to June 9, 2024. Visit weefestival.ca to reserve tickets.
© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2024
