This year the Lessingtage will take place at Hamburg's Thalia Theatre from 20 January to 06 February 2022. It is the first edition of the Lessingtage after the worldwide Corona pandemic, which fundamentally changed the way people live together. Against finiteness and loneliness, the Lessingtage confronts negative influences of the pandemic and, true to the motto "Celebration of Life", advocates a life full of joy to celebrate life with the help of the arts.
In the English-speaking world, the expression "Celebration of Life" often functions as a term for a funeral service. The productions of the Lessingtage 2022 address the fragility of life in this sense. Many of the events address extreme life concepts - including the opener of the Lessingtage, in which the performance "Der schwarze Mönch" (in English "The Black Monk") by Kirill Serebrennikov deals with the irrepressible human longing for life. Other productions, on the other hand, highlight a society affected by social disintegration. One's own life and environment are questioned in the performances, so that you as a spectator are encouraged to question your own way of life.
The (still ongoing) pandemic recently represents one of the greatest challenges of our time. Nevertheless, the tasks facing society, our own lives and the environment are not getting any smaller. Be part of the Lessingtage 2022 at the Thalia Theater to gain a different perspective on the structures that determine your life and to extract the positive from fundamental changes. The artists of the Lessingtage open up a perspective on (positively) changeable structures and let you look at the ongoing challenge of the pandemic situation in joyful, angry, absurd, artistic as well as musical ways.
Lessingtage 2022 successful despite Corona
As every year, the 13th Lessingtage came to an end with the "Long Night of World Religions". At the beginning of January 20, the festival had started with two international in-house productions. This was followed by selected guest performances as well as festival successes from all over Europe. Readings, exhibitions, numerous talk formats, concerts and artificial actions of young people were also part of the program of the 13th Lessingtage.
The format took place both live and analog. The opening international productions, including Chekhov's "The Black Monk" and Toshiki Okada's "Doughnuts," were well received by audiences. "These were stellar moments of theater," said Joachim Lux, Indendant. "The motto 'Celebration of Life' has completely come true, we are looking forward to a better future!"
