Festival Process

Always Remember to Trust The Process: Devising “Painkiller”

With nine vibrant personalities, we had an exciting start to the festival process. Our size allowed us to conduct research at a variety of different locations. Driven by our curiosities, we delved into the enchanting world of fairytale, investigated the Brandenburg nocturnal wilderness, and sought adventure in the underworld of an after-hours späti. These explorations were only possible with a group as dynamic as ours.

A few barriers arose while conducting research around the topic underground, taking us on an unintended journey. After each research group prepared their vignette for our first feedback session with teachers, Thomas Prattki and Kelley Soul, the challenging yet rewarding task of gluing this collage together began, culminating in finding that all-important through-line which tied it all together as we reached for our story’s ultimate theme.

Discovering the theme was the most demanding part of the creative process. With only a single day to go until sharing our piece as a part of the 2023 Treehaus Festival, we found ourselves in a bit of a bind. Luckily, the story pointed us in the right direction, and after some deliberation the group finally agreed on the direction we would take. Ultimately, we yearned to tell the story of loneliness in a new city (Berlin) and the alienation of a generation adapting to the effects of drastic change and social upheaval. Thus, “Painkiller” was born.