Jutti and Walter Ladengast! I was 5 or 6 and always dragged my brother along to them; they lived one floor below us. We sat there and I was so shy and we just looked at each other. There was very little talking. And that became a love, a total love, a great love! Walter and Jutti Ladengast. He was an actor (e.g. with Werner Herzog), she was a goldsmith. And I was often there, in their empty apartment without carpets and wallpaper – only Bauhaus furniture and a few pictures. That was a scandal at the time. I wanted to be like that. Poor. Without carpet. With pictures. And a hibiscus with a fiery red blossom. They used to live in a studio in Vienna and told me a lot about the time in Vienna. And they taught me a lot. The love of life. The arts. The Muppet Show. Drinking wine from small glasses. Death. Walter’s death was also a gift. To be able to be so close to him even then. I will never forget the two of them. (Cora Frost)

This evening tells the story of a friendship. The friendship between Cora Frost and Walter Ladengast, the actor, lyricist, painter, photo artist and, last but not least, neighbor from Cora’s childhood days, who died in 1980 at the age of 81. With his pictures and poems he was not only a chronicler of his life, but almost of an entire century: “In the midst of constant upheavals and catastrophes, his very private view testifies to an unswerving adherence to beauty, to people, to art and to life itself.” (Franz Reimer) In a séance for and with him, we listen to his voice and watch his images and photographs form into a slow film of life that flows quietly past us. Two lives strangely linked in retrospect. A coincidental affinity of souls.

Sogar dein Tod war ein Geschenk (Even your death was a gift) lasts about 2 hours. The first hour consists of a performance in German spoken language. A synopsis/introduction in English can be found in the evening program. The performance is followed by an installation consisting of four films, during which the audience can move around the room. The lighting situation is overall rather dark, at one point there is a “flashlight shower”. The performances on October 21 and 24 will include a brief moment with very loud noises. Hearing protection will be provided. Low swivel stools are available for seating. For those who need another seating option, two chairs with backrests and one beanbag seat are available. The beanbag seat and one wheelchair space can be reserved by phone or purchased at the online ticket store and box office, if available. Accessibility information is updated on an ongoing basis. If you have any questions or require further information, please contact Gina Jeske at or 030 27 89 00 35.