In November and December 2020, inmates of the Berlin JVA OVB dealt with the subject of waiting in a theater workshop project based on Samuel Beckett's WAITING FOR GODOT.
Due to the current resolutions to contain the corona pandemic in Berlin, it was not possible for aufBruch to realize a theater production in a closed prison. For this reason, in consultation with the Senate Department for Justice, the alternative model of a theater workshop was developed, which allowed prisoners of the open penal system to take part in a theater production outside the institution.

In a nutshell, GODOT is the story of two men, Vladimir and Tarragon, who are waiting for someone named Godot to keep their appointment and who meanwhile pass the time with a conversation that oscillates between hope and despair.
In two acts of different lengths, they encounter a man named Pozzo and his slave, Lucky. In both acts a boy reports to them that Godot will not come today, but that he will definitely keep the appointment tomorrow. In the second act, a tree that was bare in the first act suddenly produces leaves. And "not," as Beckett emphatically stated, "to show hope or enlightenment, but only to indicate the passage of time."

Under the direction of Peter Atanassow, the participants tried out basic acting skills over a period of six weeks and practiced voice training and scenic play.
The scenic results of the workshop project could not be performed in front of an audience due to the corona pandemic; alternatively, the production was filmed on three evenings. Our aim is a later revival and performance of the production in front of a theater audience after the lifting of the Corona restrictions.

A production by aufBruch KUNST GEFÄNGNIS STADT 
in co-operation with THE KNAST GmbH & Co KG

Performed by the aufBruch prisoner ensemble in the JVA OVB:
Andrijano, Gerhard, Mike, Roy, Şefik, Yusuf

aufBruch Team:
Peter Atanassow (Director), Holger Syrbe (Stage designer), Melanie Kanior (Costume designer), Vsevolod Silkin (Music coach), Sibylle Arndt (Production manager), Susann Apelt (Assistance), Lukas Maser (Technician)

Funded by a grant from the Senate Department for Justice, Consumer Protection and Anti-Discrimination
Supported by THE KNAST GmbH & Co KG, JVA OVB, JVA for Women, JSA Berlin