Phobophobia

In the organizer's words:

An evening about fear

Fear is human. It is said of Jesus that he trembled in the Garden of Gethsemane when he suspected that he was going to be killed. Fear of death. Fear of the future. Fear of futility. Fear has many faces. Sometimes it warns, sometimes it paralyzes, sometimes it prepares to attack and sometimes to flee. Should fear frighten us? Or can we learn to live well with it? In a large-scale interactive production, young experts from the fields of theater, music and science will approach these questions through artistic research and be inspired by the church space of St. Peter's in an ensemble project that transcends disciplines.

Since 2013, "An evening about ..." has been a series of events in St. Peter's, which follows the idea of not pursuing the content of Christian holidays in a theologically traditional way, but rather transferring them liturgically and artistically into a present characterized by scientific thinking and free artistic creation. On Maundy Thursday, 17/04/25, at the height of Passiontide, fear will become the theme of a production with "Phobophobia". Pastor Dr. Bernd Schwarze (St. Petri) and Knut Winkmann (Theater Lübeck) had the idea of having the topic developed this time not by established academics, but by young people from the arts and sciences as part of a joint event and in the form of a citizens' stage. The focus of interest is therefore on how a young generation deals with a major topic full of existential, political-social, scientific and artistic implications. Independent director Mathis Dieckmann and set and costume designer Carlotta Oetter have been brought in to create the stage design. Doctoral student Christina Bolte (research assistant at ISMS/University of Lübeck) will provide neuroscientific and psychological input, and Sarah Proske, a student of church music and composition at the University of Music Lübeck, will be the musical director. The University of Music is also involved with young instrumentalists and choir singers, and further artists will join the production during the rehearsal process. Pastor Lilly Schaack (St. Petri) will be the theological director and will also share the stage direction with Mathis Dieckmann.