Samara Hersch and Company
Body of Knowledge
Live-Version
Performance
October 14 | 11.30 h
October 15 | 11.30 + 22.00 h
October 16 | 11.30 + 22.00 h
October 17 | 11.30 h
Festsaal
15/10€
The ticket sale ends at 11.30 a.m. the day before the show. 
in English

All audience members must bring their own fully charged smartphone with a WhatsApp account installed and their own headphones. Otherwise, participation in the show is not possible. You will be given access to Sophiensæle WiFi on location. English skills are required for communication with the Australian teenagers.

In BODY OF KNOWLEDGE you are invited to join a conversation. This is a conversation between different generations that questions our assumptions about the body. In particular, it looks at sex education and forms of body knowledge (vs. embodied knowledge), addressing issues such as sexuality, boundaries, pleasure, intimacy, shame, grief, consent, ageing and death. It is equally a conversation about body politics and asks how our bodies exist in relation to each other, to our collective future and to the borders that lie between us. The work takes place for an adult audience with teenagers from different locations, phoning in from their individual bedrooms. This remoteness and distance raises questions of embodiment and disembodiment and asks how we pay attention (or not) to our own bodies and the bodies of others. The inter-generational discourse that is set in motion forces us to rethink the multitude of ways in which knowledge is produced, acquired and shared. Power is re-organised and reimagined. The teacher and the student, the adult and the child, the performer and the audience, begin to shift and entangle. Together we are here, in this moment, trying to work it all out…

The show lasts 90 minutes. Knowledge of spoken and written English is required for comprehension. Seating options are: chairs and one beanbag. The performance is wheelchair accessible. To participate, WhatsApp must be installed and operated on your own smartphone. Body of Knowledge involves: listening on the phone, participation, some physical tasks and at some point an invitation to sit down on a low reclining surface. Tasks can be modified according to accessibility requirements. Please contact our accessibility manager Gina Jeske directly to discuss any access needs upfront: or +49 30 27 89 00 35. The two wheelchair spaces and the beanbag seat can be reserved by phone or booked in the online ticket store and at the box office, if available. After purchasing a ticket, you will receive an email with detailed instructions on how to participate. The project team is available at any point throughout the performance if you require any assistance. This performance follows a strict lockout policy so please arrive 15 minutes prior to your session as no late comers will be accepted.

SamAra Hersch is an artist and director whose work explores the intersection of contemporary performance and social engagement. She completed her Master’s degree at DAS Theatre in Amsterdam. Her current work explores public acts of intimacy by creating new artistic frames for non-professional performers and audiences. Samara Hersch is currently artist in residence at Theater Rotterdam and is part of the EU network ACT; Art Climate Transition. www.samarahersch.com

LEAD ARTIST Samara Hersch CREATED WITH AND PERFORMED BY a team of extraordinary teenagers from Australia DRAMATURG Maria Rößler CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIST Fred Rodrigues LIGHTING DESIGNER Jenny Hector STAGE MANAGER Cassandra Fumi ARTISTIC ASSOCIATES Karlijn Clocheret, Simone French, Isobel Dryburgh, Kobbe Koopman ARTISTIC ADVISERS Mette Ingvartsen, Edit Kaldor Set Design Concept Belle Santos Set Design Development + Construction Ran Chai Bar-zvi 

A production by SAMARA HERSCH AND COMPANY co-produced by SICK! Festival in Manchester and Liveworks Festival for Experimental Art in Sydney. Realized in the framework of the European Network, Be SpectACTive! Supported by the Australian Council for the Arts. The guest performance as part of the Coming of Age festival is made possible by funding from the Capital Cultural Fund. Media partner: Berlin Art Link, taz.die tageszeitung, tipBerlin