MFA Year 2

The Weimar period in Germany, and specifically Berlin, lasted from roughly 1919 to 1933. It rose as a reaction to Germany’s defeat in the first world war, and is historically marked by the poverty created with the great inflation. However, it is also known as a very productive period in history for German art, as well as sexual and gender expression. Censorship under the Weimar regime was significantly less strict than other places, which resulted in many kinds of performance that would still be considered provocative today.

At first I thought this period would be interesting for my project, solely because of the relationship between 20s and 20s- I liked the idea of looking back 100 years. But as I continued my research, there were other parallels that interested me. German Expressionism, the predominate art movement at the time, was about examining the inner feelings of the protagonists. Dramatists at the time were very interested in the human psyche, dreams, and emotions. Madness and altered mental states were frequent subjects in Expressionist stories. Covid-19 has brought conversations about inner turmoil, ennui, and mental state to the forefront of regular conversation, and I felt a deeper connection between these times in history.

I came across a woman in my research who was the poster girl for all that was extreme and decedent in Weimar time. Anita Berber was a dancer, a film star, and a model. Various sources say she was incredibly progressive in her choreography, and a talented artist, whereas others write her off as a drug addicted degenerate whose only accomplishments were her tabloid antics. She was undoubtedly troubled, dying from complications due to her heavy dependence on drugs and alcohol by the age of 29, but the stories surrounding her interested me greatly. She was classically trained as a dancer, but rejected the propriety of classical dance in favour of a more modern approach to movement. She was married to men three times, but had many public affairs with women, and was a queer icon of the time. She had a famous temper and a flair for the dramatic; there are stories of her smashing champagne bottles over the heads of patrons who heckled her while dancing, or stories of her turning up at parties naked, but for a fur coat, and a pet monkey around her neck. However, there are other stories of her being very sad about being misrepresented in the media, and trying to get sober more than once in her short life. She was a bold and complicated woman, my favourite kind.

“The Last Days of Anita Berber” was conceived as a dance and theatre hybrid. In addition to these mediums, video and projection are meant to play a predominate role in the staging of the production. Cinema was a very important part of the Weimar art period, and Berber herself was both a stage and screen performer. The design of the production takes inspiration from the 1920s, but in a very loose way. I have been more interested in exploring ways that Weimar era aesthetics and influence have appeared over the last 100 years, and as such, I see the design of this show as a bridge from then to now. Some of the silhouettes evoke that era, but much of the music comes from now. The energy is inspired by Berlin then, and definitely Berlin now. As this production was conceived during Covid 19- the inclusion of multimedia can be used to create the illusion of a full stage, even when all the dancers may not be present. I imagine scene partners recording dance in one place to be projected onto screens that live performers can interact with etc. I am interested in ways that we can capitalize on the current state of the arts, and treat it as a new and unexpected challenge.