the new life at Weiherhofbad: Surrealist theater meets Karlsruhe
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the new life: A surreal stage experience at Weiherhofbad
With the new life, the ensemble ben rentz transforms the Weiherhofbad Karlsruhe-Durlach into a place between dream, body, and resistance. The production starts on September 10, 2026, at 8 p.m., focusing on the power of the surreal, on dance, music, and an expansive staging that breaks open everyday life and reinterprets the public bath as a cultural resonance space.
When the swimming pool becomes the stage
Here, theater atmosphere meets the peculiar clarity of an indoor pool: surface water, tiles, echo, light, and movement create a scene where the dramaturgy is not told frontally but experienced physically. Ben Rentz, together with Yoreme Waltz, develops a choreography that does not illustrate the space but transforms it. The result promises a stage design made of perception, rhythm, and tension, in which every gesture gains meaning.
Surrealism as a gesture of the present
The idea of the evening is rooted in the historical power of surrealism. From the reaction to war and fascism emerged that artistic movement that does not flee from reality but challenges it. This is precisely what the new life connects to: as a poetic and political method that brings emotion, instinct, and physicality back to the center. This is not nostalgic but highly relevant, as the piece questions freedom, collective experience, and the role of public spaces in a crisis-ridden time.
Dance, music, and scenic density
Between dance, percussion, and wind instruments, a dense stage experience unfolds. The musicians do not appear as a backdrop but as moving actors intertwined with the dancers. Wood and metal become scenographic stimuli that disturb visual habits and make the audience's reaction more immediate. Costume, lighting mood, and acoustics are expected to condense the evening into an intense experience that goes far beyond a classical theater performance.
A public space with cultural-political sharpness
It is precisely the Weiherhofbad that makes this production special. A public bath is a social meeting place, a place of encounter, and at the same time a space that comes under pressure in times of tight budgets. The choice of this venue carries a clear cultural-political point: What do we protect, what do we share, what can a city retain as a common good? the new life does not respond to this theoretically, but sensually and with the energy of the live moment.
Conclusion
Those who love contemporary theater, dance theater, and interdisciplinary performance experience an unusual cultural event with attitude here. the new life combines artistic precision with atmospheric power and transforms the Weiherhofbad into a stage of departure. An evening for all who want to not just see theater but feel it in the space.
Official channels of ensemble ben rentz:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ensemble.benrentz/
- Facebook: no official profile found
- YouTube: no official profile found
- Website: https://benrentz.com/
