Der Riss (UA)

Welcome to Lümow – a small, rural idyll. A village surrounded by nature, where the pace of modern life has not yet taken hold. Everyone knows one another. Everything runs smoothly. Community matters are tackled at regular meetings. People pitch in where necessary. Where differences of opinion arise, discussions continue. On and on until a compromise is reached. Grassroots democracy in action, in other words. That is why, for example, the ducks in the village pond may now only be fed with Coke Zero KF, sugar- and caffeine-free.
However, the odd project does take a direct hit, since the empty coffers put the brakes on any costly project from the outset. So the new crack in the asphalt of the village road stays where it is for now – no big deal, you can overlook it. As a new road marking, it even serves a purpose! Necessity becomes a virtue and everything carries on as usual.

Until Anna turns up. She has chosen Lümow as the base for her promising business plans. Her start-up is soon to be established in the old granary, offering space for creative minds and, incidentally, providing a bit of a boost to the local area. Who knows, perhaps a little prosperity will even find its way into the village. The prospect of change – and perhaps risk – is causing a stir in rural life. With her innovative plans, the young entrepreneur is met with a mixed reception in the community. Opinions are divided. And whilst people are engaged in heated debate over a reorientation of the local economy, another issue is slipping from view and spiralling out of control. The rift is steadily growing – from a blemish on the streetscape to a nuisance traffic obstruction, on to spatial division within the village and an ideological question that divides opinion.

Marco Damghani’s new commissioned work, about an increasingly pervasive problem that those affected are straining to ignore, comes to the stage as a humorous grotesque. As in his previous works, he continues to explore, as both writer and director, questions of the political and the connection between the personal and the systemic. His productions at Schauspiel Leipzig, “Die Leiden des jungen Azzlack” and “Anouk & Adofa”, were awarded the German Theatre Prize DER FAUST, among other honours, and invited to the Autor:innentheatertage at the DT Berlin. He most recently appeared at the “radikal jung” festival in 2026 with “Die Allerletzten” from the Maxim Gorki Theater.