The Greenhouse

"The Greenhouse" presents a portrait of a speculative ecology, inviting audiences to reimagine their role within the systems they inhabit. It explores a utopian vision of harmonious coexistence, even as it confronts the inherent complexities and challenges of such interconnectedness.

The piece unfolds in a surreal, ever-evolving world, simultaneously familiar and alien. It is set within a garden-like environment, where nature and human waste have forged a symbiotic relationship.

In this setting, a city has been reclaimed by nature. Human dominance has ceased, and remnants of civilization are reimagined by organisms whose intelligence has long been a mystery: plants. These evolved flora repurpose human waste, fusing organic and inorganic materials to gain new evolutionary advantages. This new botanical world stands as a testament to nature's capacity for innovation, a realm where waste and life are not in opposition but intricately intertwined.

The city itself becomes a living organism, breathing and fuelled by the interactions of its inhabitants. The performance opens with the unearthing of a dancer by a small puppet, their gentle, exploratory interaction evolving into a shared dance joined by the puppet manipulators. The stage, features strange buildings with countless stairways, all constructed from brown cardboard and overgrown with green ivy, equipped with mysterious levers and contraptions. Within this landscape, survival is navigated not through dominance, but through precarious forms of care and coexistence.

At its core, the piece examines humanity's impact on the planet, proposing successful coexistence as an ultimate goal that demands continuous engagement and mutual attention. The audience enters a stage world that continually evolves, acting as the silent protagonist. The narrative unfolds through non-linear storytelling. Through observing fragments of daily life and the interactions of its inhabitants, the audience becomes a field documentarian, reconstructing the city as a character and forming a complete picture of this balanced ecosystem. This dramaturgical approach is reinforced by the stage design – a complex landscape that transforms with the performers' movement.

The strong physical and visual language of the piece, makes the work accessible across cultures and languages. It is particularly open to neurodivergent audiences, d/Deaf audiences, and those who may be less familiar with traditional theatre.

“A piece that speaks without words – and instead touches through imagery, rhythm, and materiality.”

“Ein Stück, das ohne Worte auskommt – und stattdessen mit Bildern, Rhythmen und Materialität berührt.”

Elvira Meisel-Kemper, Münsterländische Volkszeitung