Shelter! Ready! Go!

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Shelter! Ready! Go! (OFL) was an amateur theater group from Hamburg , founded in 1994 , whose members were homeless .

history

The group shelter - ready! - go! was founded in 1994 by Gerd Arland (1941–2018) together with the homeless poet Klaus Lenuweit and directed by Arland. The theater was sponsored by the non-profit association Obdach! -Fertig! -Los! , which was supported by the Hamburg parish of St. Peter , where the rehearsals also took place, Caritas and by the donation parliament Hamburg as well as voluntary employees. The aim was to strengthen the self-confidence of homeless people through acting, to get existing addiction problems under control and thus to promote social rehabilitation - especially with regard to work and housing.

In the 20 years of existence of the theater group, seven plays have been staged and performed. The group disbanded in 2014. In the time of its existence around 100 participants were active on and behind the stage.

Theater work

Before each theater rehearsal, sandwiches were organized for the players. In a discussion, they found an open ear for the problems in their life situation.

Arland insisted on sobriety in rehearsals and performances in his theater work with the homeless. At Obdach! -Fertig! -Los the actors did not play any plays by foreign authors: As an author and co-author, Arland developed the plays together with the homeless, who told about their lives on the street and thus represented their own fate on stage .

OFL's therapeutically oriented theater work was unique among German homeless theater projects. The self-experiences of those affected resembled the “ Theater of the Oppressed ” by Augusto Boal .

Pieces

As an author and co-author, Arland succeeded in narrating the tragic résumés of fellow players as cheerful taunts. With this, OFL was able to draw the attention of a broad audience in northern Germany to the psychological problems of the homeless. Six plays and one theater performance were created:

  • 1994: "Open Stage Game", shelter! - Ready! - Go! in Hamburg's Mönckebergstrasse. Theater performance for participation by Gerd Arland and Klaus Lenuweit. Content: In the dice game "Wohnopoly" the winner gets an apartment.
  • 1995: “Pension Sonnenschein” in the “ Mission ” at Hamburg Central Station . Play by G. Arland and K. Lenuweit. Content: This version of the Christmas story takes place in a homeless shelter.
  • 1998: "Kalte Platte" at TIK, Thalia Theater Hamburg . Play by G. Arland and K. Lenuweit, directed by Reneé Harder. Content: Homeless people talk about their life on the street and dream of their own apartment.
  • 2002: "Straßenköter", play by G. Arland and Thomas Dominik. Content: Two homeless people tell how they got stranded on the street, make friends and pull themselves out of the swamp like Baron Münchhausen by their own hair.
  • 2005: “Down to the Stars” in the Hamburg “Factory”. Play by G. Arland, T. Dominik, director: Maja Helene Feil. Content: The homeless Andy, the drinker Harry and the gamer Mike get into an argument about the question "Has life ruined people on the street - or was it before?" Then the actors interrupt their play and come out as having been treated for a long time and are back in permanent living conditions, in order to then tell their own life story.
  • 2010: "Läusepension", new version of "Pension Sonnenschein" by G. Arland and K. Lenuweit.
  • 2012: “Nestkälte”, world premiere and premiere on March 11th. 2011, Kultur-N-Halle, Uelzen. Sponsors: Salvation Army, Caritas, St.Peter Groß Borstel, Plus-Punkt, Feildesign.

Award

Invitation to the “International Festival of Homeless Theater” in Prague on January 13th and 14th, 2006 with the play “Downward to the Stars”. OFL was the only theater there that performed self-written plays.

literature

  • Joachim Wondrak: Aspects of theater work with involuntary subcultures , p. 225, Schibri-Verlag Berlin, 2004. ISBN 978-3937895130 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Obituary for Gerd Arland: Without index finger, with self-irony. In: Hinz & Kunzt. November 23, 2018, accessed on September 27, 2019 (German).
  2. ↑ Barbara Kaiser: Hamburger Nestkälte (New Germany). March 16, 2011, accessed September 27, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Rotenburger Rundschau: No hotel has more stars. November 21, 2006, accessed September 27, 2019 .
  4. ↑ A little warmth in the cold nest | Dithmarschen church district. Retrieved September 27, 2019 (German).
  5. ^ Hamburger Abendblatt- Hamburg: Homeless people play theater. February 18, 2005, accessed on September 27, 2019 (German).
  6. ↑ Hamburg donation parliament: purchase of technical equipment for the theater Obdach-Fertig-Los. Retrieved September 28, 2019 .
  7. ^ Homeless people as actors: Das Sozialtheater, taz, November 19, 2011
  8. ↑ Motivation "nest cold". Retrieved September 27, 2019 .
  9. ↑ A cold nest instead of a warm room. Rotenburger Rundschau, March 28, 2011, accessed on September 27, 2019 .
  10. ↑ Homeless Theater: Homeless-Ready-Los shows "Nestkälte". In: Hinz & Kunzt. November 15, 2012, accessed on September 27, 2019 (German).
  11. ^ “Encounters without shelter” , Radio Prague International, January 24, 2006