preparation of props

Unhurriedly Friederike is preparing the props. Amongst other things the tub Tiger an Teddy will be washed in after they have been rescued from the rubbish bin and pieced up again.

Preview: tomorrow we will show an exclusive interview with Teddy and Tiger...

the challenge of International Theatre

Christian Tschirner, the German director of the play “80 days 80 nights” is talking about his view on international theatre. He sees a huge challenge for such projects and especially for theatreplays to be internationally understandable and playable. For him the factor of regional understanding and clear messages is a limiting factor. Only dance theatre can cross this line because it mostly is vaguer and can be artistically interpreted by the audience. Being a foreign director Christian Tschirner is talking about his lack of knowledge of the countries audience. He does not want to claim himself knowing how for example the Turkish visitors enjoy a theatre play.

While the train is taking its way from Bucarest to Craiova we can easily sit down and think about Christian Tschirner`s thoughts. Surely we are not the only ones asking ourselves how each audience is reacting and feeling about the different plays…

Occident Express

Sitting in front of Ceauşescu's former private Railway station, director Alexandru explains the Romanian play, which talks about the dictatorial past of the Ceauşescu-regime. Apparantly, everybody dreamt of leaving the country in the Orient Express to western europe. Hence the term "Occident express" is much more suitable for the Romanians.

New city – new experiences …

The hotel fort he turkish and the german ensemble had not enough rooms available for everybody. So the filmcrew has been booked into the Intercontinental. The 18th floor allows a wonderful first view over the city.

Micul Paris, small Paris that is how Bucarest was named many years ago. Today this city accommodates around two million people slowly recovering from the legacy of Nicolai Ceausescu.

An easy discussion

Finally, the train arrived in Bucarest, Romania, with a delay of only three hours. In the meantime, another problem occured: apparently for the theatre performances some of the railway cars have to be switched in position, an easy task to be discussed in three languages...

First Borderline – first problems

About 270km away from Istanbul on the borderline to Bulgaria the Orient-Express-Theatre-Train is standing right on the border train station, Kapikule. There seem to be some heavy activity and high level talks going on so that we assume that there might be something not going according to the plan. A few minutes later we know about it, the train`s departure has been delayed for unknown time. Having this uncertainty in mind everybody looks for something to do to make the time passing even faster. How much Türk Cay will be served, we do not know, but for some reason the locals “lay back”-way of life seems to also work for us quite well and totally relaxed we are waiting for some news.

If and if so with how much delay and with how much of the freight the train will start his trip in direction of Germany is impossible to tell right now, but tomorrow we will know much more …

“80 days – 80 night” – Christian Tschirner talks about his play

Christian Tschirner, the german director, gives an insight into the story of his play "80 days - 80 nights", which actually takes place along the original route of the ancient orient express.

In "80 Days - 80 Nights" the well-known German outhors' collective SoerenVoima tells the story of a teddy bear arid his companion, a stuffed tiger, both made in Romania for the German market. Unmasked as plagiarisms, they are denied entry into Germany and destined for the shredder. But the good fairy Seyran rescues the two and, on the condition that within 80 days and 80 nights they find someone to love them, sends them on a hazardous journey along the route of the old Orient Express.

Sunset in Istanbul

Evening by evening Istanbul is showing an astonishing natural spectacle as soon as the sun sets in the brightest and most beautiful colours we can imagine, just as it happens right now in front of us with the sun going down behind Hagia Sophia. A golden yellow with red lines mixed coloured spectacle not being comparable with anything else.

Simply the ferry boats will be taking a rest. But who ever might be missing the last boat should not be sad. In one of the unnumbered bars, restaurants, clubs and whatever one might need for entertainment one space will be open. One space in a city never calming down.

Sadly we have to start saying goodbye to this city most of us came a kind of in love with. A city having warmly welcomed us not really showing a borderline between Orient and Okzident. But we have to schedule the last hours and days before it will sound on Monday: “Bucarest we are coming”.

Train crossing Bosphorus

The Bosphorus has to be crossed, from the eastern to the western part of Istanbul, from Asia to Europe. There's no bridge for trains but ferry boats. The crossing is scheduled for the night after the german performance at Haydarpasa railwaystation, but is apparently delayed. One of the trainstaff serves us some tea, we can hardly communicate due to the different languages but still we have a lot of fun together.

German thoughts about the project

Apparently the Turkish media are pretty interested in the Orient-Express project. Just before the first performance of the theatre train in the eastern part of Istanbul, we partly follow a press talk of the leading dramatic advisor and the project manager of the german theatre crew. Jörg Bochow and Christian Holtzhauer explain their aim and difficulties with this project; apparently, not everything is as easy as it might seem.


Their talk is not just followed by the media and us, but also the Turkish directors Övül Avkiran and Mustafa Avkiran are present and interested in the Germans ideas and thoughts.

At the rehearsal of the turkish ensemble, we're fascinated by the sound of an instrument called Kanun, which is kind of a turkish harp or zither. In the conference coach of our theatre train we're meeting the actors practicing wonderful songs for their performance.

Touched by the warm but still strange sound to our ears we're dreaming of staying in Istanbul. We're watching seagulls over the Bosphorus as the sun sets behind the Golden Horn.

It was a long way from Ankara to Istanbul...

After a nearly 10 hour train trip we safely arrived in Istanbul and left the train on its new location: the train station “Haydarpasa”. Istanbul is a great and adventurous city so that we thought we put some new pictures onto the slideshow you find on the right side. Have a look and enjoy.

And especially for the soccer fans we do not want to miss out on mentioning todays UEFA-Cup-final between Werder Bremen and Schachtjor Donezk.

The train leaves to his first destination !

Finally, after a one week stay in Ankara, the train leaves to his first destination. After a last picture was taken at the station, the actors, technicians and directors are heading for Istanbul.

Demonstration

Sunday morning, in front of the hotel of the german theatre group: a couple of thousand people with red flags. We're told they demonstrate for Atatuerk, for Turkey and as well for two imprisoned turkish journalists. Or perhaps this is all about the national day of Turkey which will be celebrated in a couple of days.

Childhood-memories coming true

During daytime somewhere in the outskirts of Ankara. We were told that here the Orient-Express-Theatre-Train should be painted and pasted. When exactly, nobody knew; where exactly, nobody was able to tell; finally we found it.
Huge foils are printed and pasted in long lanes onto the surface with unexpected accuracy. At the end we spend a whole day on this side track, communicating with our basic Turkish we have learned so far. And still we manage to jump on the suddenly arriving locomotive to catch a ride back to the main station. It is time for another performance of the Turkish Play “Ex-Press”.
Driving in front of this train feels a bit like childhood-memories coming true….

But still something had to be done!

After an astounding and exiting premiere of the Turkish Play "Ex-Press" there was no time to wait. Last preparations for the German premiere of "80 Day 80 Nights" had to be done. And it was not just to be decided whether national colours should be represented in the set and probs or if there would be artistic freedom.

Finally they all managed and for the second night and second premiere the train opened its wonderful stage in front of an enthusiastic audience.

"Europe we are coming"

All preparations are finally finished!

Today all preparations are finally finished.

“Orient-Express”, the once and only theatrical train journey from Ankara to Stuttgart will be a kind of starting with the premiere of the Turkish Play “Ex-Press”. Tomorrow the German Play “80 Days 80 Nights” will have its premiere and the train journey will start on Monday, when we leave Ankara and when we are heading for Istanbul.

From now on you will find every day some new information an video about “Orient-Express”.

Starting Soon !

A theatrical journey through Europe.
The Orient Express will begin its European journey in Ankara in May 2009. In a converted freight car, theatre ensembles from six european countries will perform plays in their own language at 11 different locations during their journey. Following the premiere in their hometown, each ensemble will travel by train to the next city where it will perform again and meet up with the next ensemble, which, in turn, will perform its premiere. In terms of content, the theatre project examines "European identity", expectations of and past experience with the European unification process, and issues like escape, expulsion, mobility and settling down. Following stops in Turkey, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Germany, the train will arrive at its final destination two months later - the port of Stuttgart. There, all the participants will meet once again at a theatre festival and perform their pieces on the rolling stage.