Trinity College Drama Students Perform at Major German State Theatre

Posted on: 18 July 2008

TCD drama students recently took part in an an international exchange between Trinity College and P14, the youth ensemble affiliated with the Volksbühne Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, one of the major state theatres in Germany.

During the exchange programme. second-year BA students from TCD’s Department of Drama performed a new bilingual adaptation of Masse Mensch [Masses and Man], a German Expressionist play by Ernst Toller. In addition, twenty-five Irish students trained with young German actors in bilateral, bilingual acting workshops facilitated by Nicholas Johnson, a Trinity College postgraduate and professional director. Philippa Van Welie, also a TCD postgraduate, worked as the designer for the production.

The first workshop of intensive actor training with Johnson took place in March with the support of the Volksbühne. The second session of the training workshop took place in June, after which the German and Irish students appeared together in the production of Masse Mensch.

Students from Trinity College were accommodated by the families of the German students, allowing them the opportunity to immerse culturally and to build stronger relationships with young actors abroad. It is hoped that during the 2008-2009 academic year, the German students can be invited to Trinity College under a similar arrangement. 

The tour was generously supported by the Trinity College Association and Trust, the Department of Drama, TCD, and the Irish Embassy in Berlin.