t(w)o-each-other

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Musical theater for ages 3 and up |

Staatstheater Mainz and Ensemble LebiDerya (Germany)

In the beginning, there's one circle and two friends. One of them plays the trumpet, the other plays the tombak. One of them uses lips and breath to play. The other one uses hands and fingers. These two friends play together and think up a common music they can share. They don't just play their own instruments – everything can make a sound, and one can play with anything. Breathing, blowing, snapping, clapping and beating with the hands can even work on the floor, on the body, or in the air.

All at once, a line splits the circle into two sides. And suddenly, the question comes up: Are there really two halves? What is mine now and what is yours? Sometimes it's not so easy to play together anymore, because each person has their own ideas and their very own special music. And there are different ways to make music together: alongside each other, with each other, together, and alone – 'zweieinander', t(w)o-each-other.

Musicians Johannes Stange and Joss Turnbull devised the music for this instrumental theater in an ongoing, constantly developing improvisation during rehearsals. Out of this process emerged a composition for trumpet, tombak, hands, feet and transport truck tarp.

Since 2014, Staatstheater Mainz has been a key protagonist in the further development of musical theater for young audiences, putting special emphasis on original productions and new formats. Ensemble LebiDerya creates its own unique style of oriental jazz out of musical influences ranging from chamber music to folk music from Western and Eastern traditions. “Zweieinander“ is the musicians' first venture onto a musical theater stage for children.

Original premiere: December 6, 2015, Mainz (Germany)

Music: Johannes Stange (trumpet), Joss Turnbull (tombak)
Production direction: Anselm Dalferth
Set and Costume Design: Birgit Kellner
Dramaturgy: Ina Karr
Theater pedagogy: Katrin Maiwald

Length: 45 minutes

Supported by Fond Doppelpass, Federal Cultural Foundation of Germany

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