Lords of the Railway

Uwe and Dirk are model railway enthusiasts and hopeless perfectionists.
As they potter around their miniature world, one of them tells a story about a little boy who loses his toy dog on the train. Slowly the story takes over as the train. heads for Warsaw and the boy`s father goes in hot pursuit. With the help of a real miniature train set, Germany`s Theater handgemenge presents a virtuoso piece of fast-paced story-telling theatre. Brilliantly performed, it is dramatic, quirky an great fun.

VOTE OF THE COMMISSION
(Festival Augenblickmal Berlin)

Here the hobby becomes a celebration and men become actors: Dirk and Uwe are perfectionists. Working with model railways is subject to strict rituals and should also be fun - the main thing is that everything remains under control! Every switch can become a touchstone of friendship, but you know each other and every train is its track.

This mixture of pedantry and mischievous enjoyment does not superficially seek the proximity of its audience, the figures are first and foremost what they are: Friemler and henpecked heroes. However, the filigree timing of every gesture and every word in the direction of the film develops a primordial comedy that is never at the expense of the characters, on the contrary, it constantly inspires them with new sympathies.
The traffic purrs, Uwe and Dirk now venture into passenger transport. Thomas rolls into the miniature train station, with aunt Kunjä and Hoppelpoppel. But in the new "little house" where his father is waiting, Hoppelpoppel is no longer there! Forgotten on the train (From Dirk! Or Uwe?). Travelling alone in the direction of Warsaw. Thomas probably never sleeps again. Berlin must save it. Father goes out to get a new Hoppelpoppel.

The growing drama of their story drives the two of them into a virtuoso round dance of the performing arts. Material, man and machines claim a true cosmos of metropolitan life. Peter Müller and Pierre Schäfer succeed with great craftsmanship in the seemingly effortless combination of dramatic puppetry, material animation and commentary levels to create a fast-paced narrative theatre form that carefully leaves room for the audience to experience.

At the climax of the action, Uwe breaks the rules of the game. Instead of bringing the laboriously conquered hopping poplar to Thomas, the Uwe father gives it away to a little hopping poplar lover on the train. "You explain that to Thomas!" Dirk is angry and Uwe is close to tears. Just as the Uwe father approaches the little house with the sad news, the house is puffing and a train from the east is approaching. Dirk plays along again and the little misfortune turns into great happiness! The merging of the two levels of representation is successful and the story in the finale.

It is widely known that hobby-horses, preferably those of men, tend to develop a life of their own and that the participants build their own little counter-world in the hobby cellar. The chance to give this counter-world a touch of reality in the "act of creation" of the model iron cock builders is used in the best possible way in this production.

Performance time is 70 minutes for Children ages 6+, Families and adults, or only adults
Max. Audience 250

technical conditions:
6x6m, but at least 5x5m stage
Room height min. 2,80m, or higher
rising sitting rows, with a slight incline 0.50m high stage platform
max: 200 audiences from 6 years, or 250 for adults
Lighting equipment required by promoter
For details see technical rider

Languages: German . English . French subtitles . Simultaneous translation possible

Awards

2003
"Lords of the Railway" is possible from 420 drawn performances under the 10 outstanding productions out completely
Germany and gets nominating to the "Traumspielen" 2002
"Lords of the Railway" receives nominating to 7. German child and youth theatre festival "Augenblickmal" to Berlin

2005
“Lords of the Railway” plays on “EU Theatre Arts for Children and Young People Festival 2005 in a vertical tour of Japan” and “Deutschland in Japan 2005/2006) in Tokyo, Kaoshima, Tottori and Okinawa

2005
Tour Ireland Dublin, Galway, Castlebar

2005 Prix des Régionales à Momix 2005

Performances so far in:

France, Spain, Hungary, Poland, Denmark, Switzerland, Oestereich, Serbia, England, Ireland, Canada, Japan