A wheel, a few grains, and water. Is that all a hamster’s thoughts revolve around as it runs around in its cage? Or is it actually dreaming of its escape, of life beyond the bars and unknown adventures? What would we read in its diary? In a musical theater piece, actress Anke Retzlaff and multi-instrumentalist Peter Florian Berndt give a little hamster a voice and body.

To accompany the production, the production will set up mobile phone booths at various locations throughout the city where passersby can leave personal stories, thoughts, and feelings on the topic of freedom. A conversation with Anke Retzlaff, Peter Florian Berndt, and Paul Jumin Hoffmann about their production “What’s Worth Fighting For,” which will premiere at asphalt 2022.

You will be working with the graphic novel “The Diary of Edward the Hamster 1990-1990” by siblings Miriam and Ezra Elia as the textual basis. How did this come about?

Anke Retzlaff: We came across the text by chance, a few years ago. It was on a friend’s shelf and immediately captivated us. Since then, we’ve always dreamed of creating something of our own with it and, over time, have written several songs for the little hamster.

You already worked with audio recordings of dreams last year with your production “Dream Machine” for the “Theater der Welt” festival. Why this approach?

Peter Florian Berndt: It’s an attempt to enliven the theater evening with real voices, both through their content and their very different sonic textures. Furthermore, the voices, thoughts, and participation of the people who connect with our piece in this way are a valuable source of inspiration for the development. There is no warmer and more interesting instrument than the voice.

Anke Retzlaff: That’s true. I love working with people’s voices. I’m interested in what the people around me have to say about the themes of the pieces, what their thoughts and feelings are, and I’d like to incorporate them into our projects. For ‘Dream Machine,’ we collected dreams and incorporated them. The idea was to connect people in an associative space through their fears and desires, without them physically meeting.

What question or theme are the audio recordings for “Diary of a Hamster” addressing?

Anke Retzlaff: Given global tensions and crises, we are particularly interested in what is currently personally occupying the people of our city. How they perceive their world and deal with current fears, desires, and thoughts. These can be both small and large thoughts and feelings. For example, how one might record them in a diary. In our imagination, we are all a bit like Edward the Hamster, in our very own hamster wheels and perhaps also cages. We would like to learn more about these various hamster wheels and cages.

You also want to work with instruments. Would you describe this production more as a concert, a reading, or a play?

Paul Jumin Hoffmann: All three terms apply. The only thing missing is the participation of the visitors through the collection station in the city.

The premiere of “Diary of a Hamster” will take place on the lake stage of the asphalt Festival. There, the audience will hear the music and voices very closely and directly through headphones. What do you expect from this special performance?

Peter Florian Berndt: I imagine it will captivate the audience because it will be very immediate. The songs, the conversations, the voices will be like their own thoughts. Essentially, this directness is a very manipulative approach, but the audience should not be underestimated: Today’s reception habits allow us to create an intense and stimulating evening in this way without overwhelming the audience with technology.

Is the production primarily for children and young people?

Anke Retzlaff: We are developing the production for both young and old people. I believe that some of the thoughts and feelings that Edward experiences in his hamster wheel will recur and move us at different times in our lives in very different forms. Just like the attempt to express ourselves, be it for ourselves in a kind of diary, through art, music, or in direct contact and exchange with others. Perhaps our little hamster will succeed in connecting the thoughts and feelings of people from different generations in the city and turning them into allies.

Paul Jumin Hoffmann: I think adults, children, and young people alike will be able to identify with Edward the Hamster. Back then, I often felt restricted and lonely at school, and later in my professional life, I realized far too late how long I’d been stuck in the comfortable hamster wheel. Feelings of isolation and loneliness are no stranger to anyone during the pandemic, with the younger generation particularly affected. Edward’s strategy for breaking out of this is to find allies in his fight.