| Be in a play

Be part a big production performed in the Audimax, Hamburg University’s largest lecture hall. Three months of intense rehearsals culminate in 8-12 shows. A demanding time with wonderful challenges and a great opportunity to expand your knowledge and experience in theatre and meet many people passionate about this art form!

| Improvise

We’re currently building the improv branch of the UP with a regular, open workshop every first and third Tuesday of the month. Our production AS YOU WANT IT – THE IMPROVISED MOVIE NIGHT was the first in a long time to make it beyond campus. Due to popular demand we’re presenting it regularly at DIE MOTTE in Hamburg-Ottensen.

| Write

UP News is a comprehensive program magazine that accompanies every production. The magazine illuminates the production from aesthetic, historical and artistic perspectives. This gives you the opportunity to gain essayistic and editorial experience and to launch a veritable publication.

| SPECTERS: TRIFLES & THE AMERICAN DREAM

By Susan Glaspell and Edward Albee

Gender, power, and the dark side of the American Dream: Experience the domestic horrors and social critiques of Trifles and The American Dream in this riveting double bill of U.S. American theater masterpieces.

TRIFLES / Directed by Charlie Bierend and Lydia Preusch
In a quiet, isolated farmhouse, a man has been murdered in his sleep. As the women in the play uncover subtle clues that reveal what really happened, the male officers dismiss these as insignificant “trifles.” Keenly aware of the hidden horrors within the home, the women quietly take justice into their own hands. Glaspell’s gripping and atmospheric drama delves into the intricate power dynamics of justice and gender. This production breathes new life into the 1916 classic, draws striking parallels between past and present gender roles, and illuminates the complexities of today’s #tradwife culture. An evocative staging of a timeless play!

THE AMERICAN DREAM / Directed by Felix Krebs
Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, and a “professional woman” without profession inhabit a world stripped of meaningful relationships. There’s no child, no understanding of the “professional woman’s” purpose, and confusion about whose mother Grandma is. As the chilling truth about an adopted child’s fate unfolds, the moral and emotional bankruptcy at the core of this so-called family is revealed. Albee’s darkly comic satire portrays a grotesque reality where the obsession with material wealth has hollowed out the facade of the “perfect American family.” Our production of the 1961 play underscores the disintegration of human connection caused by the relentless pursuit of financial success.

Experience these two sharp, thought-provoking works back-to-back!

Premiere: Monday, Jan 20,  2025
Additional shows: Jan, 22-26 / 29-31 and Feb, 1, 2025
Shows start at 7.30 pm (Audimax, Von-Melle-Park 4)

Introduction with the directing teams:
Jan 22, 2025, 6-6.45 pm (Audimax, Audi 2, same building)

Post-show discussion with the creative teams:
Jan 29, 2025, after the show

Photography (c) Irina Starkova | Graphic Design (c) Agil Timothy

Tickets

Online presales: 12 / 6 €
Box office: 15 / 8 €

School classes / student groups: 5 € per student. Accompanying teachers/lecturers get in for free. Please register beforehand: up@uni-hamburg.de. Teachers may also be interested in our SPECTERS school pack with materials and discussion questions.

| EURYDICE

By Sarah Ruhl, directed by Henny Fleischmann and Charlie Bierend

10 / 11 / 12 April 2025
Shows start at 8 pm at the Hamburger Sprechwerk, Klaus-Groth-Straße 23, 20535 Hamburg

The wedding day of the too-young and too-in-love Eurydice and Orpheus ends unexpectedly: Unable to resist the promise of a letter written by her deceased father, Eurydice finds herself at a stranger’s apartment. On her escape, she trips, falls and dies. In the underworld, where all words are lost but stones can speak, Eurydice is left with no memories of her husband and reunites with her father. When Orpheus’s beautiful music makes even the stones weep, the two are given the chance to return to the world of the living – and Eurydice is left with a choice to make. A tale of love, loss, and letters.

​​EURYDICE reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice not through Orpheus’s infamous pilgrimage to retrieve his bride but through the eyes of its heroine. The production departs from the myth aplenty to create an associative visual poem full of light-hearted humor and emotional intensity. With contemporary characters, surprising plot twists, and inappropriately seductive side characters, this play is a fresh look at a timeless love story.

Sarah Ruhl ranks among the most produced living US playwrights. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize twice, a Tony Award nominee, and has received the MacArthur Fellowship and PEN Theater Award. She adapted EURYDICE into a libretto for an opera of the same name in 2020, which was then nominated for the 2023 Grammy Awards. She is also an acclaimed poet and essayist, whose memoir SMILE was among Time magazine’s 100 Must-Read Books 2021. We present the play with an original score by Bremen-based composer and sound designer Ole Schmitt.

This production has been awarded BEST STAGE PRESENTATION at the international FEATS festival in Antwerp 2023!

Tickets

Online presales: 18 / 9 €
Box office: 20 / 12 €

School classes / student groups: 7 € per student. Accompanying teachers/lecturers get in for free. Please register beforehand: up@uni-hamburg.de. Teachers may also be interested in our EURYDICE school pack with materials and discussion questions.

Trailer

How to join

At the core of our activities are two main productions every year (one per semester). If you want to join our cast, you are welcome at our open auditions at the start of every semester. Usually, this means auditions in October and April but we diverge from that occasionally. You won’t be asked to prepare anything whatsoever, your lines will be given to you on the day. If your passions lie behind or in front of (rather than on) the stage, this is also the right time to come and meet everyone and tell us what you’re interested in. When joining the crew, everyone who wants to be a part of it, will be a part of it!

We are always looking for people in these departments: stage and props, costume and make up, production assistance, directing assistance, photo and video, lighting and sound, PR and social media as well as poster design and program layout. There is also the opportunity to publish an essay in the UP News. Depending on the production itself, we might also be looking for people with specific experience in music, choreography, visual design, dance and so on.

Once the cast is chosen, there will be an intense three-months period of rehearsals. We take our craft seriously, so it takes a lot of time and work, but it is always fun. We usually even try to squeeze a whole rehearsal weekend in there as well, where we really get to know each other and take part in creative and fun workshops.

| Contact us

You want to join a department? You have questions regarding shows, auditions or anything else? As we are usually off buying props or rehearsing in stage, our office is usually not occupied – therefore the best way to reach us is online. Just sent us an e-mail and we will get back to you as soon as possible!

| Newsletter

Never miss a premiere or an opportunity to join! Sign up and we will let you know about all show openings and auditions! Since we know newsletters can be annoying at time, we’re sending out mailings only about four times a year with essential information. Once you entered your email address here, please do not forget to confirm the subscription by clicking on the link you’ll receive via email.

| Our Instagram

We’re sharing all important – and some not so important but still fun – information on instagram. Audition dates, special offers, sneak peaks in rehearsals, trailers, competitions… Follow us there and you won’t miss anything!

| Find us

You are trying to find us for a show or audition? Our stage is located in the University of Hamburg’s Audimax, Von-Melle-Park 4, 20146 Hamburg. The Audimax is located on the ground floor of the building and wheel-chair-accessible. If you have any questions regarding accessibility, feel free to contact us beforehand or let someone at our box office know if you need assistance on the show night.