Hi Freaks: Almut Zilcher & 21 downbeat

Hi Freaks: Almut Zilcher and 21 downbeat

Under a Foreign Roof: A Musical Reading of the Exile Literature of Mascha Kaléko

In the summer of 1938, shortly before the National Socialist pogroms, the rising Berlin poet Mascha Kaléko emigrated to New York. “Amegika!” her “little rascal” cheers aboard the “fairly decent ship Britannic” bound for the States — as Kaléko records in her diary.

As a Jewish author in exile, economic uncertainty and concern for those left behind intertwine with curiosity about this new and exciting place, which reminds her so much of the Berlin she was forced to leave behind. While war rages across Europe, Kaléko writes under a foreign roof about exile, homesickness, and hope — in her unmistakable blend of melancholy and lightness:
“The night in which fear resides also holds the stars and the moon.”

Together with Almut Zilcher and the RZt house band 21 downbeat, a musical-literary exploration of Mascha Kaléko’s years in exile emerges — between Berlin and New York, loss and new beginnings, longing and hope.

Born in Graz, Almut Zilcher has performed at numerous theatres, including Deutsches Schauspielhaus and Thalia Theater in Hamburg, Schauspielhaus Bochum, Schauspiel Frankfurt, Schauspiel Köln, and Berlin’s Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. Since the 2006/2007 season, she has been a member of the ensemble at Deutsches Theater Berlin, where she has also appeared on stage together with performers from RZt, with whom she has shared a close artistic friendship for many years.

21 downbeat is a changing ensemble consisting of actors from Rambazamba Theater and composer/musician Leo Solter. Beyond conventional boundaries and expectations, the band members create a highly individual sound using their own texts and poems by contemporary authors. Their debut EP featuring lyrics by award-winning author Yoko Tawada was released in summer 2021 on the label Keller. 21 downbeat has performed at venues and festivals including Pop-Kultur Festival, Mensch Meier, ausland, Kantine am Berghain, and Fusion Festival.

Hi Freaks is a benefit event series by RZt. For more than 30 years, actors with disabilities have collaborated with renowned guests from the German cultural scene to create wild and exciting theatre experiences. Old and new friends of the theatre are invited to read, perform, and make music together with the ensemble. The proceeds support the theatre’s infrastructure as well as the training of new performers.