Making the Story

How do we perceive the war in Ukraine? People who work in the midst of the chaos of war and whose stories hardly anyone knows are crucial to its portrayal in the Western media. These are the so-called fixers who support international journalists in their war reporting. They guide reporters through destroyed cities, open doors to traumatised families and bear responsibility in moments when every detail can make the difference between life and death. »Making the Story« shines a light on these invisible people. Based on a research trip to Ukraine and intensive discussions with fixers and journalists, a piece of docu-theatre has been created that not only informs, but also deeply touches and challenges. The production makes it possible to experience the ethical dilemmas, vulnerabilities, strength and courage that lie behind the apparent objectivity of the news. The real-life case of a young fixer who died during a Russian missile attack and whose family is now suing in the USA shows how politically and humanly explosive this field of work is. Who bears responsibility? Who is telling whose story? And what is the cost of risking one’s life for the truth? »Making the Story« was awarded the Kurt Hackenberg-Preis für politisches Theater 2025 and was nominated for the Kölner Theaterpreis 2025 and the nachtkritik-Theatertreffen 2026.

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, asphalt has been making current views on Ukraine visible and audible in every festival edition, inviting Ukrainian artists and providing an insight into the richness and diversity of the Ukrainian art and cultural scene.

Futur3 was founded in 2003 by theatre makers André Erlen, Stefan H. Kraft and Klaus Maria Zehe as a platform for their theatre work in Cologne. For its productions, the collective seeks out venues outside of fixed theatres, often turning the city itself into a stage and creating productions with elaborate logistics for a specific space. Futur3 not only seeks transdisciplinary collaboration with authors, musicians, dancers, scientists and street workers, but also international connections – working contacts, festival invitations and co-productions with theatre artists in Ukraine, Poland, the USA, Italy, Israel, Singapore, Switzerland and Belgium have enriched their work of recent years.
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What the press say:

»With ›Making the Story‹, director André Erlen and Futur3 bring an evening to the stage that makes the cruelty of the Russian invasion come alive in a completely different way than any well-researched television report.«
Stadtrevue

»A tough interrogation of journalism set between satire and accusation.«
nachtkritik

»The action on stage is of great intensity.«
theatre:pur

»Director Erlen repeatedly creates images that would be almost poetic, almost mystical, if they didn’t show the brutal reality of war.«
Kölnische Rundschau

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