State 1-4

By Haug / Kaegi / Wetzel

What stakeholders and networks are gaining influence in the post-democracy? Who is filling in the gaps left in the spheres once regulated by the three state authorities? Rimini Protokoll surveys examples of post-democratic phenomena in four theatrical productions.

Democracy in crisis: although there has been a rise in citizen participation in decision-making processes and political bodies are elected fairly, do representatives, politicians and institutions act on behalf of the common good? Or are fears being corroborated that PR strategists and privately funded advisory and legal teams are snatching the reins from the hands of politicians to control an increasingly global society? And why do the latter, at the last moment and under great pressure, opt for the alleged only alternative?

With their series State 1–4, Rimini Protokoll set out to explore fields outside of what can be organized and controlled by the nation-state today. Rimini Protokoll look back at the essence of the powers whose separation was once intended to form the essential mechanism for monitoring state structures. To what extent are these powers still able to regulate the decisive impetuses for change faced by societies?

Top Secret International (State 1)
World Premiere Dec 10, 2016, Münchner Kammerspiele, US-Premiere Jan 6, 2017 in New York in the frame of Under the Radar Festival, Public Theater
A production by Rimini Protokoll and Münchner Kammerspiele, coproduced by the Goethe-Institut with support from Melbourne Festival. It is part of the two-year interdisciplinary project, Sensitive Data, a collaboration between the Goethe-Institut and its partners. Part of 100 Years of Now.
Concept / script / direction: Helgard Kim Haug, Stefan Kaegi, Daniel Wetzel

Society under Construction / Gesellschaftsmodell Großbaustelle (State 2)
World Premiere May 12, 2017, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus
A production by Rimini Protokoll and the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus
Concept / script / direction: Stefan Kaegi

Dreaming Collectives. Tapping Sheep / Träumende Kollektive. Tastende Schafe (Staat 3)
World Premiere Sep 23, 2017, Staatsschauspiel Dresden
A production by Rimini Protokoll and the Staatsschauspiel Dresden
Concept / script / direction: Daniel Wetzel

Davos State of the World / Weltzustand Davos (State 4)
World Premiere January 2018, Schauspielhaus Zürich
A production by Rimini Protokoll and the Schauspielhaus Zürich
Concept / script / direction: Helgard Kim Haug, Stefan Kaegi, Daniel Wetzel

State 1-4 Complete tetralogy
Haus der Kulturen der Welt
March 2018
The series State 1-4 is a cooperation between Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Münchner Kammerspiele, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, Staatsschauspiel Dresden, Schauspielhaus Zürich, and Rimini Apparat, as part of 100 Years of Now, funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media due to a ruling of the German Bundestag. State 1 was co-initiated by the Goethe-Institut.
Concept / script / direction: Helgard Kim Haug, Stefan Kaegi
Dramaturge: Imanuel Schipper