After surprising theatre audiences in their debut tour in 2016, Familie Flöz brings their flagship production once again to China.

FAMILIE FLÖZ

The FAMILIE FLÖZ was established in 1994 by a small group of acting and mime students at the Folkwang-Hochschule Essen in Germany, experimenting with masks. In 1996, the original version of “FamilieFlözkommtÜberTage” was received with great enthusiasm by the press and public and became the group’s namesake years later. Over the past 20 years they have toured with five different productions to 27 countries, giving FamilieFlöz an international reputation for its unique poetic and comic ensemble. “Hotel Paradiso”celebrated its premier in 2006 in seven different locations and has been touring very successfully worldwide ever since. Just recently the show performed a spectacular sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015.

Artistic Director /Director: Michael Vogel

Born 1962 in Naila, lives in Berlin. Studied at Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. Michael Vogel has worked as director for numerous artists, companies and theatres – including Bremer Shakespeare Company, Schauspielhaus Bochum, Theater Strahl Berlin and Gardi Hutter. He taught at Berlin University of the Arts and Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Art, among others. He is director at Familie Flöz, but has also worked as actor, mask builder and stage designer in some plays.

Artistic Director / Mask: Hajo Schüler

Born in Hammelburg, Germany. Trained at Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. He worked as actor, choreographer and director at several playhouses, including Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Essen Theatre and Philharmonic, Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg, Burgtheater Vienna, Schillertheater NRW, Frankfurt Opera, Centro Cultural Recoleta Buenos Aires and Ballhaus Ost Berlin. His teaching work comprises assignments at the University of the Arts Berlin, the Folkwang University of the Arts Essen, and the State University of Music and the Performing Arts Stuttgart. In addition, he has led numerous seminars on the topics of „mask“and „play“since 1996. He is initiator, cofounder and artistic director of Familie Flöz.

Programme：Hotel Paradiso

The road to heaven leads through hell. Bizarre things happen at the quaint HOTEL PARADISO, a small family business painstakingly held together by the female head of the family. There are four stars adorning the gate and a mineral spring promises the healing of psychological and physical hardships. But there are dark clouds on the horizon. The son dreams of true love while fiercely battling over the control of the hotel with his sister. The maid steals from guests and the cook dissects much more than just pork... When the first corpse surfaces, guests and staff alike enter a whirl of nasty events. FAMILIE FLÖZ was never darker, never more sarcastic. A family story along with an alpine nightmare full of black humor, stormy feelings and a touch of melancholia.

Mask Theatre - About the artistic approach

FAMILIE FLÖZ makes theatre using means that lie “before language”. All conflicts first manifest themselves physically and this physical conflict is the origin of all dramatic situations. The typical masks created by FLÖZ are important tools for the development of the dramatic material and figures. Like texts, the masks not only have a form, but also a context. The process of developing a mask, playfully acting with it, and finally creating a symbiosis between the mask and actor is decisive for the end results. In a way the masked actor “writes” the scene with his body, in the air.

Reviews

"Wordless and yet somehow so expressive, full of yearning and yet also filled with joy; this is splendid and immensely skillful character comedy."

- the Guardian

"At the end of a performance one could swear that the actors had spoken, laughed and cried. A fascinating experiment in theater that is executed with incredible body control. (...) One of the most peculiar theatre projects of our times. (...) FamilieFlöz tells stories with a humor, a charm and a furor that seems to be addictive."

- SüddeutscheZeitung