Summer School: Out Into the Fresh Air. Site-Specific Producing in Berlin

July 22 to 24, all-day

How do you work in urban public space? How can the performing arts be incorporated within urban life? How do we conceptualize a project site-specifically? How can non-theatrical spaces like parks, shopping centers and open-air swimming pools be transformed into stages? And which audiences do we encounter when we leave the theater and what discourses are of interest to them? What funding and cooperation options exist for work in public space and what bureaucratic challenges must be overcome? And, not least of all – how do I protect an event in public space?

Over the course of a three-day summer school session, Martin Stiefermann and his guests will provide insight into their many years of practice as culture makers and project managers of event in public space. They will present different site-specific projects, share their experiences and their knowledge about production-relevant questions such as financing, planning and organizing projects outside of classical theater spaces as well as how to think about site-specific audiences and will also provide practical tips for specific realization, including mobile formats out in the fresh air.

Please note: the participants are asked to bring a specific concept idea for site-specific project in urban public space as well as a laptop or other end device for working with their concepts. Supported by the instructors, they will get to know potential locations in public spaces and further develop their concepts through specifically working with the locations, their conditions and their potential audiences.

In German spoken language, it is possible to ask questions and make comments using English spoken language.

Overview of the Schedule of Programming

Day 1: Thematic Block 1: Working Site-Specifically – Why?

Why do we want to work in public space? Am I planning a performance, an intervention, an installation, an audio walk – and how does the work and planning vary based on this? What is my motivation for presenting my work in public space and what challenges does this setting pose? On the first day, we will look at how site-specific production processes differ from working in theater spaces as well as how they vary based on format. We will immerse ourselves in the world of approvals and insurance policies, in technical requirements and questions about electricity and water supplies as well as measures for occupational safety for the team as well as the audience. We will discuss which differences exist in the process depending upon whether the desired location is public property or private property. With this insight, the participants will plan the production process of their project, specify the organizational tasks and create a realistic schedule for their projects. On the basis of a variety of best practice examples, they will how the special organizational hurdles of site-specific work can be overcome.

Day 2: Thematic Block 2: On Places and People

Squares, parks, monuments, fountains, cemeteries, open-air swimming pools, shopping centers, allotment gardens, stores, libraries, clubs – the opportunities seem endless. But where do I see my project – and why? Which locations exist and how can they be used? What audiences exist at the location I have chosen and does my project planning take them and their living realities into consideration? On the second day, we will concentrate on the specific locations for the planned projects and consider how to find a suitable location and how to think about not only the concept and location, but also the target groups and local audiences in the production process from the very beginning. On the basis of these considerations, we will conduct field studies at a variety of selected locations in Berlin that are suitable for the concepts of the participants and conduct the respective project planning based on the situation and conditions on-site. In this section, the participants will concentrate on the specific realization of their projects and clarify practical questions concerning their potential event such as admission, walk-up audience members, technical realization as well as the realization of safety measures for the performers and team.

Day 3:  Thematic Block 3: “Let’s Walk Alone” – Organizing Mobile Formats in Public Space

On the third day, the participants will conduct field work once again and, using the audio walk example Let’s Walk Alone (MS Schrittmacher), explore formats in public space where multiple locations are used and the performers and audience travel together. What special considerations are involved in mobile formats such as audio walks, audio rides, performative walks and processions in terms of planning and organization? What must be kept in mind when audience groups have to move from point A to point B? What technical challenges are encountered here? How do i find useful partners with whom mobile formats can be made available publicly and maybe even on a long-term basis? At the end, the participants will once again receive the opportunity to incorporate what they have learned into their concepts, present their final state of work to the group and receive feedback from the instructors as well as the group. 


Participation in the workshop is free of charge.
We will only travel within the city of Berlin (tariff zone AB, possibly ABC).
Lunch break: probably between 1pm and 2pm each day, food and drink and accommodation are not provided.

Instructor

Martin Stiefermann is a choreographer, mentor, curator and developer of concepts. Following his training and engagement at the Hamburgische Staatsoper, he worked as a choreographer, alternating between positions as a dance director at repertory and ensemble theaters (Theater Kiel, Oldenburgisches Staatstheater) and as a choreographer within the independent performing arts community, especially with his Berlin-based group MS Schrittmacher, which has now existed for twenty-six years. He directed the residency program at Schloss Bröllin from 2018 to 2021 and has been part of the leadership team of the TANZPAKT projects MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN TANZT AN since 2018. He has served as an artistic partner of the label Art Hacking® since 2019 and realizes workshops on the topic of transferring artistic processing to economic questions. He launched the project BRUCHSTÜCKE in 2022, which is dedicated to establishing the fields of dance and performance in the rural area of Oderbruch. He is a co-founder and board member of MS Schrittmacher-Landgang e.V. He is a founded member of ZTB e.V. and a member of LAFT Berlin e.V., where he also served on the board of directors from 2014 to 2018. He was a member of the Bundesdeutschen Ballett-und Tanztheaterdirektor*innen-Konferenz (BBTK, the German Federal Association for Ballet and Theater Dance Directors). He has been a member of schloss bröllin e.V. since 2015 and a member of the board of Tanzregion Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e.V. since 2018; in addition to this, he is also a representative within the network TANZ WEIT DRAUßEN. Since 2022, he has been a member of the core group responsible for establishing TANZINITIATIVE Brandenburg and has been a member of the board of the newly founded association Tanzinitiative-Brandenburg e.V. since the spring of 2024.

Constantin von Estorff organises events in public spaces, both as an active musician and as part of the climate movement. He is a co-developer of Raumsonde, a free online tool that simplifies the process of identifying suitable venues and applying for permits for cultural events in public spaces in Berlin. Another focus of his work is noise control strategies for events in public spaces. His main job is as a research assistant at the Technical University of Berlin.

Raumsonde is an open-source platform that helps cultural organisers in Berlin navigate the permit process for public space — from finding a location to submitting a complete application. Co-created with organisers and district offices, it makes it possible for cultural projects to happen without needing insider knowledge. New to the process? Start with our Starter Guide.

Katja Kettner studied theater, dance and literature. She works as a dramaturg, writer and project manager and is a co-founder and artistic co-director of Kanaltheater. Her artistic work sits at the intersection of text, performance, and scenic research. She develops projects on both a regional and international scale, with a focus on questions of accessibility in theatrical work.