Happy Looking for Freedom
suite42 (Berlin)
World premiere | Co-production | German with English surtitles | Recommended for ages 14+
An autograph session spirals out of control. On stage, a former television hero from the 1980s sits waiting for his fans. Memories come flooding back. Who would not want to get close to a childhood idol one more time – perhaps even secure an autograph? With practised ease, he delivers what is expected of him: legendary catchphrases, unforgettable gestures and anecdotes from a time when television series were the talk of schoolyards and offices the next morning. Back then, people believed in a clear moral compass that could solve every problem. Desires glowed in neon, seemingly within easy reach.
But suddenly, the mood shifts. The harmless nostalgia show turns into an evening that is as comic as it is unsettling. The hero of the past surprises us with his sharp observations on the present. Where villains were once easy to recognise, today they have become invisible. He speaks about loneliness and violence, global markets and the hidden mechanisms behind our prosperity.
About suite42
suite42 brings together international theatre practitioners and artists from other disciplines for theatre, film and audio projects exploring historical turning points, particularly the effects of violence and migration on individuals and societies. Its work focuses on collaborations in the Arabic-speaking world and on the periods before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Nils Lauterbach studied media art at Bauhaus University Weimar, while Lydia Ziemke studied theatre directing in London. Both are versatile artists with a wide range of experience. Together, they have created installations, audio walks and frequently multilingual productions for organisations including Kunstfest Weimar. These include EXISTENZ, an Arabic-German theatre production with a strong audio component, presented in 2023. For Kultursommer Gera in 2021, they developed a site-specific production of NACHTTAG by Maria Milisavjević in public spaces. Ticket holders and passers-by encountered scenes and stories at eight locations across the city. Since 2021, they have been developing the theatrical film installation geRecht in episodes, featuring Corinna Harfouch among others. In 2023, in collaboration with ZOUKAK in Beirut, they created DAS NACKTE GUTE LEBEN 2.0, a new version of a production originally staged at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg. In 2024 and 2025, they created two instalments of KLIMASTÜCK, a promenade audio performance in public spaces based on texts by Chris Thorpe. The latter three productions featured Roland Bonjour among others.
More: www.suite42.org
Credits
Realisation Lydia Ziemke, Nils Lauterbach Text Roland Bonjour With Roland Bonjour Stage Svenja Kuhr Creation euro-scene Leipzig, 4. November 2026
Production suite42 Co-production euro-scene Leipzig, Monodrama Festival Luxembourg, tak Theater Aufbau Kreuzberg Berlin
https://www.suite42.org
Happy Looking for Freedom (photos suite42)
Main Supporters
euro-scene leipzig is institutionally supported by the City of Leipzig and the Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Culture and Tourism. Co-financed by tax revenue on the basis of the budget approved by the Saxon State Parliament.