Lyrics, direction, performance: Rabih Mroué, Lina Majdalanie / Songs: Hanns Eisler mit Texten von Bertolt Brecht / Additional compostiion, musician: Henrik Kairies / Dramaturgy: Sandra Noeth / Technical Direction: Thomas Köppel
Lina Majdalanie & Rabih Mroué
Four Walls and a Roof
- Performance
English /
with German surtitles /
approx. 100 mins.
Lina Majdalanie and Rabih Mroué take up Brecht's interrogation in 1947 by the HUAC, the “Committee for Un-American Activities”, and interweave it with their own experiences in exile. With humour and poignancy, they question political narratives and challenge us to think critically.
In 1947, Bertolt Brecht was interrogated by the HUAC, the “House of Un-American Activities Committee,” while in exile in the United States – an event he transformed into a “theatre scene” with his excellent rhetoric and broken English. The Lebanese artist duo Lina Majdalanie and Rabih Mroué draw on this memorable interrogation in their current HAU co-production “Four Walls and a Roof” (2024), linking it to their own experiences of exile. With critical humour and creative digressions, they weave historical documents with personal elements to shed light on current political and social conflicts as well as ideological aberrations – always fighting against preconceived opinions and judgements. HAU is showing the work in co-operation with the festival Performing Exiles by Berliner Festspiele.
“Four Walls and a Roof” has been invited to the Impulse Festival 2025.
Cast
Dates
Past
Notes:
After the performance on 27.6.: Artist Talk, moderation: Lisa Deml
Credits
Production: Rabih Mroué and Lina Majdalanie. Co-production: HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Performing Exiles/Berliner Festspiele, Festival D’Automne (Paris), Kampnagel Hamburg, Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm (Frankfurt a. M.), Residenz Schauspiel Leipzig.
Location
HAU2
Hallesches Ufer 34, 10963 BerlinThere are two marked parking spots in front of the building. Barrier-free restroom facilities are available. Four relaxed seats are available in the first row of HAU2.
