Heaven in Berlin
Testbed 1
A participatory promenade piece with live rock music set in the sprawling space of Testbed 1.
Writer: Ciaran McConville
Producer: Hugo Thurston
Director: Jamie Harper
Designer: Moi Tran
Movement Director: Alexandra Baybutt
Lighting Designer: Fridthjofur Thorsteinsson
Sound Designer: Josh Richardson
Production Manager: Ria Samartzi
Music Consultant: Jess Hamilton
Guitarist: Ollie Pash
Cast: Ian Bailey, Elien Hanselaer, Annabel Capper, James Meunier, Boris Mitkov, Heather Nimmo
Ensemble: Rosie Abrahams, Adam Bellamy, Laurie Harrington, Helen Liggat, Luke Shepherd, Amelia Sweetland, Chloe Todd, Natasha Vieira
Producer: Hugo Thurston
Director: Jamie Harper
Designer: Moi Tran
Movement Director: Alexandra Baybutt
Lighting Designer: Fridthjofur Thorsteinsson
Sound Designer: Josh Richardson
Production Manager: Ria Samartzi
Music Consultant: Jess Hamilton
Guitarist: Ollie Pash
Cast: Ian Bailey, Elien Hanselaer, Annabel Capper, James Meunier, Boris Mitkov, Heather Nimmo
Ensemble: Rosie Abrahams, Adam Bellamy, Laurie Harrington, Helen Liggat, Luke Shepherd, Amelia Sweetland, Chloe Todd, Natasha Vieira
Press:
"Heaven in Berlin is unpredictable, well-crafted, harsh and at times dream-like. Testbed 1's empty industrial room in Battersea works well as the East German capital. It is effortlessly, cleverly used, with figures silhouetted in spotlights (kudos to lighting designer Fridthjofur Thorsteinsson) while walls created as we watch with rolls of paper wrapped around metal pillars are later punched and torn for us to peer through like spies. Director Jamie Harper draws us around the space well and the 'communist extras' who wash around us, watching the action or moving the set, create a real sense of being constantly surrounded."
- What’s On Stage
"In an off-beat production that invites audiences to not only witness but also physically explore the narrative, Jamie Harper’s Heaven in Berlin by Ciaran McConville is a unique and creative experience that allows you to understand the oppression of mid-1980s Berlin. Elien Hanselaer is magnificent, with the perfect combination of exuberance and emotion. She is charming and seductive yet brings tears to our eyes with the weight of her words. With intriguing controversial content and a talented live musician playing along to a musical score that truly fits the tone of the piece, the experience is surreal – like waking from a dream in contemplation of your faith."
- The Upcoming
"Staged as a promenade performance in the cavernous old warehouse space of Testbed 1, Hobo Theatre create a dark and atmospheric environment. Effectively lit in a haze of smoke, the flaking paint, metal columns and industrial fittings of the warehouse space provided a very evocative setting for a play set in the oppressive atmosphere of the Eastern Bloc. The atmosphere was completed by the superb solo electric guitar playing of Ollie Pash, hauntingly melodic and completely complementing the staging. The audience moved easily and freely between the settings of the numerous short scenes and Jamie Harper’s direction made excellent use of the available space."
- The Public Reviews
"The style of the production is absolutely beautiful and it is easy to become caught up in the world as you walk through this minimalistic, concrete room. The lights and movement guide you so despite action taking place simultaneously throughout the space, it does not feel like you miss anything. The use of the room and its staging only emphasises the dreamlike quality of the piece. The production is not just a serious peek behind the Iron Curtain – it is remarkably funny, the entire audience feels connected with each other and the very close actors. I was enthralled, enraptured, and mesmerized. I could not recommend a show more highly."
- Plays to See
"Heaven in Berlin is unpredictable, well-crafted, harsh and at times dream-like. Testbed 1's empty industrial room in Battersea works well as the East German capital. It is effortlessly, cleverly used, with figures silhouetted in spotlights (kudos to lighting designer Fridthjofur Thorsteinsson) while walls created as we watch with rolls of paper wrapped around metal pillars are later punched and torn for us to peer through like spies. Director Jamie Harper draws us around the space well and the 'communist extras' who wash around us, watching the action or moving the set, create a real sense of being constantly surrounded."
- What’s On Stage
"In an off-beat production that invites audiences to not only witness but also physically explore the narrative, Jamie Harper’s Heaven in Berlin by Ciaran McConville is a unique and creative experience that allows you to understand the oppression of mid-1980s Berlin. Elien Hanselaer is magnificent, with the perfect combination of exuberance and emotion. She is charming and seductive yet brings tears to our eyes with the weight of her words. With intriguing controversial content and a talented live musician playing along to a musical score that truly fits the tone of the piece, the experience is surreal – like waking from a dream in contemplation of your faith."
- The Upcoming
"Staged as a promenade performance in the cavernous old warehouse space of Testbed 1, Hobo Theatre create a dark and atmospheric environment. Effectively lit in a haze of smoke, the flaking paint, metal columns and industrial fittings of the warehouse space provided a very evocative setting for a play set in the oppressive atmosphere of the Eastern Bloc. The atmosphere was completed by the superb solo electric guitar playing of Ollie Pash, hauntingly melodic and completely complementing the staging. The audience moved easily and freely between the settings of the numerous short scenes and Jamie Harper’s direction made excellent use of the available space."
- The Public Reviews
"The style of the production is absolutely beautiful and it is easy to become caught up in the world as you walk through this minimalistic, concrete room. The lights and movement guide you so despite action taking place simultaneously throughout the space, it does not feel like you miss anything. The use of the room and its staging only emphasises the dreamlike quality of the piece. The production is not just a serious peek behind the Iron Curtain – it is remarkably funny, the entire audience feels connected with each other and the very close actors. I was enthralled, enraptured, and mesmerized. I could not recommend a show more highly."
- Plays to See
