🎾 Center Court - Theater trifft Tennis

In the organizer's words:

"Wimbledon" in the Brackwede town hall pavilion

A production by Stefan Mießeler
🎟️ Free admission

Bielefeld theatre-maker Stefan Mießeler arranges the sport of tennis in the form of an immersive play, which is realized by an international ensemble of theater, dance and performance. In "Center Court", the Brackwede town hall pavilion becomes a tennis court!

An extraordinary production is taking place as part of the summer program in Brackwede:
"Center Court", an interdisciplinary theater performance that presents the "white sport" of tennis in a new light. The event plays with the conventions of sport and focuses on social issues.

The performance transports the audience into the atmosphere of a real tennis match: four artists from the fields of dance, theater and performance compete against each other in a simulated five-set match.
The action combines sporting elements with artistic forms of expression, dramatic moments, slow-motion sections and controversial refereeing decisions that heighten the tension.

The interdisciplinary artist and dramaturge Farhan Sonboldel, the dancer and choreographer Natasha Vergilio,
actor Martin Schnippa and Hong Kong-born performance artist Florence Lam,
together with actress Paula Julie Pitsch, provide exciting scenes and a pleasant dose of entertainment.
portion of entertainment.

The play "Center Court" invites you to both entertain and think critically: Who sets the rules of the game in tennis and in our society? Why is tennis historically referred to as a "white sport" and why are black athletes still barely represented? It raises questions that go beyond sport: Do we remember Boris Becker and Steffi Graf? Why are there so few black people on the tennis courts apart from Venus and Serena Williams?

Fascination Tennis - an artistic reflection on identity, power and social belonging in the context of a popular sport.

The audience is encouraged to actively experience the action. The spectators sit around the court, can change sides and treat themselves to refreshments in between.

The premiere of the piece is on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at 7 p.m. in the sculpture park of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld, where the performance will be shown as an outdoor spectacle.

Supported by the LWL-Freie-Szene-Fonds, the NRW Landesbüro Freie Darstellende Künste, the Ministerium
for Culture and Science of the State of NRW and the Sparkasse Bielefeld.