In a world where the feeling of “certainty” has become fragile, what can we believe in—alone or together? Monologfestival, a key event on Berlin’s bold theater scene, pursues this existential question in its eighth edition under the theme “I Want to Believe.” Taking place at TD Berlin from November 6–16, the festival brings together theater, performance, music, and storytelling with 10 world premieres.
The festival opens with a significant figure who brings philosophy to the stage: Eva von Redecker’s keynote address titled “In Wilder Verbundenheit” (In Wild Connectedness). Redecker invites the audience to radically reimagine human action to achieve ecological, social, and solidaristic freedom, prompting reflection on personal and collective responsibility.
The program is packed with powerful works that critique systems through personal stories:
The Markus&Markus Theater Collective’s performance “Take Care & Stay Safe” centers on a theater artist’s decades-long correspondence with her pen pal Maureen, who has been in prison for 25 years. This work shakes our settled assumptions about freedom, ownership, and personal values. Juliane Hendes’s play “Angelaland” revisits the legacy of former Chancellor Angela Merkel through the eyes of an East German character, blending history, identity, and politics in a deeply personal narrative. The KMZ Collective’s experimental piece “POPKORN” makes corn the protagonist, offering a multimedia exploration of the Maya creation myth, biotechnology, and humanity’s relationship with nature. The festival also features Vöcks de Schwindt’s “Die Florenzer – L’Amore Masculino,” which revives queer relationships in Renaissance Florence through music and storytelling. The Doris Crea Kollektiv’s “Akte Ich – Ein Alien Starrt Zurück” collides science fiction, humor, and empathy. “Festival Osten: Aus Gegebenem Anlass” brings together voices from Germany, Argentina, India, and the USA amid rising authoritarianism to explore fear, hope, and resistance.
Every evening, the “Believe It or Not” After Show Lounge provides a space for post-performance discussions accompanied by music and conversation. Throughout the program, the festival supports artistic transformation, innovation, and collective connection.
Festival Information
Theme: I Want to Believe
Venue: TD Berlin, Klosterstraße 44, 10179 Berlin
Dates: November 6–16, 2025
