Spooky Paradise

Spooky Paradise is emblazoned in neon lettering above a scaffolding in the middle of a derelict site – a glaring remnant of a lost and long-gone amusement attraction. Director and visual artist Philippe Quesne’s new production introduces us to a cast of peculiar characters, heirs of a circus family. With no animals left and devoid of any acrobatic virtuosity, they are struggling to keep their business alive.

Where are we? Is it an abandoned fairground? A ghost train, or a film set? Are these artists exhausted, are they on the verge of fading away – or are they facing their potential rebirth?

At the end of Intervista, Federico Fellini’s last film, shot shortly before the Cinecittà film studios went bankrupt, the Italian director briefly mentions what his producer wished for on several occasions: „A glimmer of hope… well, I said, I don’t know…we might as well try.“

With a keen sense of atmosphere, the transience of life and magical elements in everyday moments, Philippe Quesne and his multilingual ensemble of actors and musicians present their new piece balancing the fine lines between utopia, melancholy and dystopia.

Spooky Paradise is Philippe Quesne’s first production for the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. His company Vivarium Studio, a network of visual artists, actors and musicians founded in 2003, has developed into one the most important voices in the French art scene in recent years. All their productions are collaborative projects mostly realized in cooperation with major European and international festivals, with performances on numerous stages in different countries from the start.