Edelweißpiraten

In the organizer's words:

Cologne youth between rebellion and love of freedom

A co-production by Frederike Bohr and studiobühneköln

"An edelweiss is free, wonderfully free, no other flower is as free as an edelweiss.
Where it blooms, nothing will happen to us."
(Gertrud Koch, edelweiss pirate)

The edelweiss pirates. This was the name given to groups of young people in the Cologne region from the end of the 1930s. They opposed the policies of the National Socialists - non-conformist and at the risk of their lives. They wanted to be free in a time of constraints. Nature and music were important to them; they found a common voice and refuge in their songs.

This musical, multimedia piece for everyone is about life back then and in the here and now. Following in the footsteps of the Edelweiss pirate Gertrude Koch, the audience is immersed in the reality of the lives of rebellious young people. Original films by Hermann Rheindorf from historical Cologne are superimposed on contemporary images of the cityscape. Accompanied by Regina Melech, who, together with the ensemble and her guitar, brings the songs of protest, solidarity and love of freedom into the present.

In a time of conformity, the Edelweiss Pirates had the courage to follow their own ideals and seek their own paths. This confronts us today with the question of who or what we want to be: Do we dare to be democrats in our time when solidarity is urgently needed? Solidarity for all those who are discriminated against.

Then as now: constantly growing group-related misanthropy, which manifests itself in anti-Semitism, queerophobia and racism, among other things. With the stories and songs of the Edelweiss Pirates, Frederike Bohr and her ensemble take a look at the past, but also at the complex political situation of the present.

Credits
With: Luise Kinner, Aischa-Lina Löbbert and Pierre Siegenthaler as guest
and Max Altmann, Sascha Görg, Sophie Haase and Talea Jacobsen
Concept and production: Frederike Bohr
Musical direction: Regina Melech
Dramaturgy: Anthea Petermann
Playwright: Marco Hasenkopf
Camera and visuals: K.-F. Baumgärtel, Helga Gorgs
Costume: Pia Maria Laabs, Aischa-Lina Löbbert
Technology and set construction: Fabian Dress
Set design: Frederike Bohr
Lighting concept: Sascha Görg, Fabian Dress
Graphic design: Desiree Neumann/ dizkid
Finances and administration: Niels Nester
Press and public relations: neurohr & andrä

Funding and support
Supported by the Cultural Office of the City of Cologne, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the NRW Landesbüro Freie Darstellende Künste