Profile

Helgard Haug / Daniel Wetzel (Rimini Protokoll)

Helgard Haug (1969), Stefan Kaegi (1971) and Daniel Wetzel (1969) studied at the Institut für Angewandte Theaterwissenschaft in Giessen and work together (in various combinations) under the name of Rimini Protokoll. They are recognized as being among the leaders and creators of the theatre movement known as "Reality Trend" (Theater der Zeit), which has exerted a powerful influence on the alternative theatre scene. Each project begins with a concrete situation in a specific place and is then developed through an intense exploratory process. They have attracted international attention with their dramatic works, which take place in the grey zone between reality and fiction. Since 2000, Rimini Protokoll has brought its "theatre of experts" to the stage and into city spaces, interpreted by non-professional actors who are called "experts" for that very reason. Among their most acclaimed works are “Shooting Bourbaki“, “Deadline“, “Schwarzenbergplatz“, “Wallenstein“, “Mnemopark“, and “Call Cutta – Mobile Phone Theatre/2005“.

CAST

Thomas Kuczynski
Born in London in 1944. Thomas Kuczynski graduated from university with a major in statistics, and worked as an economic statistician at the University of Economics (Hochschule für Ökonomie) in the GDR (former East Germany) from 1968 to 1991. Then he became a member of the Institution of Research for Economic History at the Academy, and later served as the last head of the institution from 1988 to 1991. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, he altered between freelance jobs and states of unemployment until 1998. Since 1998, he has been active as a freelance writer and editor. Publications : 1981 HANDBUCH WIRTSCHAFTSGESCHICHTE (co-author/co-editor); 1985-90 GESCHICHTE DER PRODUKTIVKRÄFTE IN DEUTSCHLAND VON 1800 BIS 1945 (co-author/co-editor); 1995 DAS KOMMUNISTISCHE MANIFEST VON MARX UND ENGELS. MIT EINEM EDITIONSBERICHT; 2004 BROSAMEN VOM HERRENTISCH. HINTERGRÜNDE DER ENTSCHÄDIGUNGSZAHLUNGEN AN WÄHREND DES ZWEITEN WELTKRIEGS NACH DEUTSCHLAND VERSCHLEPPTE ZWANGSARBEITSKRÄFTE

Ulf Mailänder
Born in Bünde (former West Germany) in 1956. He studied German literature and political science at the Free University of Berlin. He was involved in “political movement” as squatter, editor and business manger of an alternative publisher (Stattbuchverlag). He dropped out from the movement for several years and lived in La Palma on the Canary Islands. Then he studied Gestalt psychology and obtained practitioner qualification. Since 1992, he has been active as a freelance writer and a consultant in Berlin. He co-wrote various publications and autobiographies of Jurgen Schneider, Hans-Joachim Selenz, and Jurgen Harksen.

Talivaldis Margevics
Born in Lubeck (former West Germany) in 1941. He majored in history at the University of Latvia in Riga and in journalism at Leningrad State University. Since then he has mainly worked as film director and created more than 40 films to the present. He also worked as a packer in a textile factory, a school teacher, a university lecturer and advisor to the prime minister of Latvia.

Jochen Noth
Born in Berlin in 1941. He studied Roman literature and German literature at universities in Mainz, Heidelberg and Paris. He has been a member of the German Socialist Student Union (SDS) since 1963 and has temporarily been on its board. A foundation member of the central committee of Communist Federation of West Germany (Kommunistischer Bund Westdeutschland). He worked in China from 1979 to 1988 in the editing department of Beijing Radio and as lecturer in Beijing Foreign Studies University. He has worked in Berlin as consultant and advisor specializing in China since 1989, and has been the director of Asia Pacific Institute of Management. He has written in numerous publications.

Christian Spremberg
Born in Hamburg in 1965. Christian Spremberg studied at school for the blind in Hamburg, Friedberg and Marburg. After graduating from high school, he majored in German literature at Philipps-Universität Marburg, but he left the university in 1992. Later, he worked as telephone operator at a public employment office in Marburg. From 1995 to 2002, he was part of the editorial staff at the Spreeradio in Berlin. Since 2003 he has worked as telephone operator at a call center in Berlin.

Ralph Warnholz
Born in Düsseldorf in 1960. He trained as a mechanic, further taking evening classes in electronic engineering. For 12 years starting from 1974 he indulged himself in gambling. Since 2000 he has led a self-help group for gamble addicts in Düsseldorf.

Sascha Warnecke
Born in Ratingen (former West Germany) in 1986. He started to work as part-time worker in a large supermarket while in high school. He is currently a media trade trainee. Since 2007 he studied “social work” in College. Party member of the German Communist Party since 2003. Together with party members from the German Communist Party, he re-established the German Laborer Youth.

Franziska Zwerg
Born in Berlin in 1969. She studied German literature, Slavic literature and theater at Humboldt University of Berlin and Lomonosov Moscow State University. After graduation she has freelanced as a Russian translator. Her translation works include the autobiography of Boris Yeltsin, former prime minister of Russia, and novels by Irina Denezkina and Elena Tregubova.