Lina Majdalanie & Rabih Mroué // Four Walls and a Roof

In the organizer's words:

Lina Majdalanie & Rabih Mroué
Four Walls and a Roof
performance

June 21, 2025, 18:00
+ Followed by a discussion in English spoken language // Followed by a discussion in English spoken language

"What is home? What is a safe place for artists' spaces of thought and emotional worlds? Are the eponymous four walls and a roof enough? [...] The audience [...] is involved in a comprehensive meditation on the feeling of homelessness." Eberhard Spreng, Theater der Zeit, February 2025

"What is home? What is a safe place for artists, space to think and for their emotional worlds?Are the four walls and a roof of the title sufficient for this? [...] In acomprehensivemeditation, the audience [...] is drawn into their feeling of homelessness." Eberhard Spreng,Theater der Zeit, February 2025

In 1947, Bertolt Brecht was summoned before the committee for "un-American activities" - his interrogation is legendary. Lebanese artists Lina Majdalanie and Rabih Mroué combine this historical event with personal experiences of exile. In a playful and critical production, they interweave Brecht's documented statements with fantasy and narrative excesses as well as music by Brecht's companion Hanns Eisler. With their new work "Four Walls and a Roof", the sought-after artistic duo have created a clever and critical, but also humorous piece about ideologies, freedom of opinion and the theater as a place of reflection.

In 1947 Bertolt Brecht was summoned before the House Committee for "Unamerican Activities" - his interrogation is legendary. The Lebanese artists Lina Majdalanie and Rabih Mroué combine this historic event with their personal experiences of exile. In a playful and critical staging, they interweave Brecht's documented statements with fantasy and narrative digressions together with music from Brecht's fellow traveler Hanns Eisler. With their new work 'Four Walls and a Roof', the sought-after artist duo achieves an intelligent and critical but also humorous play about ideologies, freedom of speech and the theatre as a place of reflection.

GOOD TO KNOW // GOOD TO KNOW

• Play length: 90 minutes // Duration: 90 minutes

• Language: English spoken language with German subtitles // Language: English spoken language with German subtitles

• All information on accessibility can be found at www.impulsefestival.de/barrierefreiheit //
  All information on accessibility can be found at www.impulsefestival.de/en/accessibility

• Box Office opens one hour before the performance begins // The box office opens one hour before the performance begins

IMPULSE FESTIVAL FOR PERFORMANCE, THEATER & DANCE

On three long festival weekends - one each in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Cologne and Düsseldorf - outstanding independent productions from Germany, Austria and Switzerland will be presented. This showcase will be supplemented by positions on the relationship between East and West Germany as part of a "Post-West" focus as well as views from and on the host region of NRW.

We are looking forward to our first joint festival season!

During three long festival weekends - one each in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Cologne and Düsseldorf - outstanding productions from the independent theater scene from Germany, Austria and Switzerland will be presented. This showcase will be complemented by positions on the relationship between East and West Germany as part of a 'Post-West' focus as well as views from and on the host region of NRW.

We look forward to our first festival season with you!

LOCATION // VENUE

Ringlokschuppen Ruhr
Am Schloß Broich 38
45479 Mülheim an der Ruhr