LEBEN GROPIUSSTADT GEBRAUCHSANWEISUNG

Satellite town, cemetery, commuter town, suburban area, recreational area, concrete jungle, imperial hunting grounds, zone border, hotspot, periphery, problem district, bird sanctuary, utopia, and dystopia: Welcome to Berlin’s Gropiusstadt!

Throughout its short history, Gropiusstadt has been subject to many labels and characterizations, has been the focus of a wide variety of planning initiatives, and has often been the target of disparaging remarks. Inspired by Georges Perec’s novel *Life: A User’s Manual*, the theatrical work by Gropiusstadt resident Arthur Romanowski and his team focuses on the stories of the people who live and work there. How did people end up here? What stories shape them? What kind of “instruction manual for life” does Gropiusstadt have in store for us?

Through intensive research, the team conducted interviews with residents of Gropiusstadt. The biographies are pieced together into a unique mosaic and intertwine with the biography of the director and performer. In this way, the audience encounters a wide variety of stories from Gropiusstadt, creating a distinct portrait of Berlin in the 20th and 21st centuries.

“concordia domi fori pax – Harmony in the homes, peace in the public squares.” From the founding charter of Gropiusstadt