About the work
“House of Hopes” is a documentary theatre project by Stefan Kaegi and Daniel Wetzel of the collective Rimini Protokoll, created as a co-production of Rimini Apparat and the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. Its world premiere is scheduled for 1 October 2026 at the Volksbühne in Berlin. The audience is led on a tour through the building, from the box-office foyer via staircases and foyers; the tour is offered in a German and an English version.
Plot
The starting point is 7 October 1989: while the GDR celebrates its 40th anniversary with a military parade, representatives of East Berlin's theatres meet in the Volksbühne's side foyer – a gathering that a month later grows into one of the largest demonstrations in German history. From there the evening draws lines into the present: twelve performers tell first-hand stories of movements against authoritarian regimes and for political change, for instance in the GDR, Poland, Romania, Chile, Iran, Afghanistan, China, Namibia and South Korea. At its core lies the question of whether hope means waiting or calls for action.
Cultural significance
The project follows Rimini Protokoll's method of putting people with their own life and professional experience on stage as “experts” instead of actors. Through its premiere venue it links the building's history in autumn 1989 with democratic movements around the world.