By Amanda Adams
Rimini Protokoll is a Berlin-based theatre-label founded by Helgard Haug, Stefan Kaegi and Daniel Wetzel. The founders, together with experts outside of theatre, develop stage-works, interventions, performative installations and audio plays.
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When were they founded?
Haug, Kaegi, and Wetzel formed the group in 2000, sharing a common goal of centering their work around unconventional views of reality. At the time of the group’s inception, the founders shared a view of theater as “a very old medium, with buildings that determine the type of theatre that can be done, which exclude for example, the relationship between the audience and the stage” (Wetzel, Dossier CCCB Interviews with Andreu Gomila in 2020). The group set out to break from the traditional theatre format, favouring instead, a more open, interactive performance style and utilizing unconventional venues, such as football fields and airports.
What are the performances like?
The Rimini Protokoll’s performances and exhibitions are interactive and turn their audiences into their performance partners. Their works are playful and surprising and may include bodily movement, lighting changes, and unexpected spectator involvement. Their works are highly thematic and often engage with questions of time and cultural heritage. The group also frequently incorporates technology and artificial intelligence.
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What sets their work apart?
Of the many unique aspects of the Rimini Protokoll’s work, perhaps the most distinctive is their focus on “everyday experts” instead of actors. Their past works have centered around Tourette’s patients, African immigrants, truckers, and police officers, to name a few. The founders select subjects who have interesting world perspectives and include those who are not traditionally involved in theatre.
What is next for the group?
The Rimini Protokoll has two performances on their 2025 docket. Running from the 7-10th of August, “SWEAT. A Musclical” is an interactive installation that presents the audience with the opportunity to physically engage with making music, perhaps even breaking a sweat. The exhibition will be presented in at Radialsystem in Berlin, Germany
The play “Futur4” presents questions on time, biography, and intergenerational legacy. The piece is documentary in nature and will be performed May 30-31 at Theater im Pumpenhaus in Münster, Germany, June 20-21at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival and the Teatrul Național Radu Stanca Sibiu in Sibiu, Romania, and October 9-11 at RAMPE in Stuttgart, Germany.
What kind of recognition has the group received?
The Rimini Protokoll is widely renowned and has received many awards, including Production of the Year in Narva in 2022 for their work 100% Narva, Nomination for the Golden Mask Award in 2019 for 100% Voronezh, and Nomination for PRIX EUROPA 2012 for 50 Aktenkilometer.