Live and in person at the Tarragon Extra Space, The Wee Festival, presents Florschűtz & Döhnert (Germany), Toronto, Ont. Playing until Sunday, June 9, 2024.
This show is absolutely delightful. Magical even, To hear a room full of children two years old to about five laughing together, without hesitation is stunning. How do these artists know how a child will take to an image?
A man sitting on a ladder holds a fishing pole and line out over a circle. A woman wearing a hat stands in the circle. The man carefully places the end of the line on the hat of the woman and slowly lifts the hat off her head. The children roar with delight. With every lift of the hat, they roar again. Magical.
She finds an egg that she calls a bird. She places it in her hat for safekeeping. Also there are feathers. He takes a feather and drops it, watching it float down, saying “Rawums” because that is the sound they imagine a falling object makes. The young audience roars with delight again.
He takes a small, heavy bag and drops it, waiting for it to float down, which it doesn’t…Thud. Laughter. Balloons are used to lift a bird, a chair, a house. The images created by such artistry is stunning. The children squeal with delight.
Michael Döhnert is the man and Melanie Florschütz is the woman. They got the idea, created the objects, balloons, birds, houses.
It was a privilege to sit in this audience of young children, watching theatre artists who know how to create magic for young audiences. And the older ones too. Please see this if you can.
Fri. June 7: 10 am (PA day)
Sat. June 8: 4 pm
Sun. June 9, 11 am.
www.weefestival.ca
RAWUMS (:)
Florschütz & Döhnert (Germany)
A trip to the wonderful world of Gravity!
“Rawums” according to the artists behind the piece, is the sound of something falling. Two curious characters explore and discover the laws of gravity! Why does a feather hover gently in the air, while a bag crashes heavily on the ground? But then what about a house? a chair? or even a person? Can they fly? They’re determined to find out!
A show about floating, flying, and falling.
Production: florschütz & döhnert
Coproduction: Theater o.N./ZINNOBER and SCHAUBUDE BERLIN
Artistic cooperation: Werner Hennrich
Idea, scenography, objects, play: Michael Döhnert and Melanie Florschütz
About Florschütz & Döhnert
The theatre company Florschütz & Döhnert is based in Berlin, Germany, and tours around the world. Artists Melanie Florschütz and Michael Döhnert have been working together since 1996, the company Florschütz & Döhnert was formed in 2004: Melanie studied the art of puppetry in Stuttgart, Germany; while Michael is a composer, guitarist and singer. At the centre of Florschütz’ & Döhnert’s productions is the idea of the actor as author. In their numerous productions for children they always seek a synthesis of music, the various means of expression of puppet and object theatre and human acting. The subject of the play determines the theatrical form it will take, always aiming for poetry and diversity.
Accessibility of our shows:
All shows by florschütz & döhnert invite the audience to experience theater with their individual prior experience and abilities. The productions work without words and are visually comprehensible. The associative visual language is open to people of all ages! Beyond language skills, the productions offer a “reading” between the lines and complex sensory impressions on several levels, which can be experienced according to ability. The resonance from deaf and hard of hearing people, people with limited mobility, cognitive and mental impairments and other