Hannah Rumstedt / Bühnen im Haus der Statistik e.V.

The title Ich habe dir Nie einen Rosengarten versprochen pokes fun at questions of why conditions still haven’t improved, why love disappears into the drudgery of everyday life and why inequality persists. The never-promised rose garden will nevertheless be planted as part of the project – as a place for neighbourly encounters and cultural exchange where performances, recitals, concerts and other activities can take place.

A stage will be built on the square at the corner of Schillingstraße and Karl-Marx-Allee. It will be framed by two concrete walls that mirror the honeycomb structure of the rose garden next to the Café Moskau across the street. The words “nie” (never) and “versprochen” (promised) will be mounted on the walls in neon lettering.

This stage is meant to be a safe space for foundational questions and ideas that need to be expressed and discussed, even if they may appear naïve or unrealistic. The rose garden will open with a play to be performed in different areas of the district, filmed and projected on the screen in the garden as a live broadcast. An adaptation of Aeschylus’ Oresteia – a textbook example of a practical design for a democratic utopia – is planned. After that, the rose garden will be available for community theatre and music projects.