About the work
Tintenfischlady (Octopus Lady) is a music-theatre work for children (ages five and up) and adults, a commission by the Deutsche Oper Berlin. The music is by Sidney Corbett, the libretto by his daughter Chiara Corbett, into which her own childhood experiences flowed. It premiered on 31 October 2025 in the Tischlerei of the Deutsche Oper Berlin (director: Lara Yilmaz).
Plot
Elli now has to sleep alone in the children's room — her little brother Hoshe has pushed her out of their mother's bed. But in the dark she feels uneasy: how can she know that everything stays as it was once the light is off? One night she ends up in the house of the Octopus Lady. There the doorknob, walls and floor come to life, she is reunited with her goldfish Mr Puddles — and finally learns that the Lady too, despite suckers, ink and tentacles, has fears she can only overcome with Elli's help.
Cultural significance
Tintenfischlady continues the successful series of new music-theatre works for young audiences in the Tischlerei of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. With sensitivity, the piece explores sibling relationships and childhood fears — and the consoling insight that fear can be overcome together, whether one is a child or an adult.