Wenn der Regen kommt (2023)

A theater game in the urban space of Moabit.

Berlin is drying out. A little more every year. Even a few weeks of rain in the summer can’t stop the groundwater level from sinking or the heat from afflicting people in the densely populated streets. What kind of future awaits the city if current strategies aren’t enough to secure the water supply?

In Wenn der Regen kommt the renowned Berlin-based game theatre collective machina eX have developed a fictional, near-future scenario. Thanks to new geoengineering in­novations, a dream that humankind has had throughout the ages comes to life: the ability to influence the weather. Equipped with their own smartphones, 30 participants in Moabit become researchers who examine the surroundings for water levels, soil quality, and seepage potential. Somewhere between a city rally, an audio walk, and a theatre performance, they manoeuvre through an urban present that is not (yet) equal to the future, together deciding how everyday reality has to change so that life as usual can continue. And decide together how everyday life needs to change so that normal life can continue.

A smartphone and the messenger Telegram are required

Credit: Paula Reissig