"Most theaters are not set up for a horde of children to romp through," says Michael Lurse. "At the Helios Theater, the opposite is the case." Lurse is a theater person through and through. Together with director Barbara Kölling, the trained puppeteer founded the Helios Theater in 1989 in Cologne. From the very beginning, the two have designed their program interculturally and have been interested in controversial stories. The play "And who asks me?" by a Turkish author, for example, told of a girl who was to be forced into marriage. In the early 1990s, that was not a topic widely discussed in the German public. Not even on stage.
Initially, there were still productions for adults on the program, but the focus soon shifted to children and adolescents. In 1997, the Helios Theater eventually moved to Hamm, thereby "right into the Westphalian province". Structurally, however, it had a lot to offer: "There were large free spaces for our ideas. And many young people who rarely came into contact with art and culture," says Lurse. Together with Barbara Kölling, he created something completely new on the outskirts of the Ruhr area: At that time, the Helios Theater was not only one of the first pure children's theater houses in NRW. But also a place with a very special philosophy. It still is today.
For at Helios, young audiences are engaged on eye level, allowing for the needs of toddlers and pubescent teenagers. Many of them bring their own viewing experiences, shaped by television or YouTube. They first have to learn to "read" plays. Simply sitting passively in the chair, consuming a piece, and then numbly going home - that does not exist at Helios. "We want to inspire our audience," says Lurse. "They should develop joy in empathizing and thinking along." Therefore, workshops, discussion rounds, or exhibitions are offered with every production. In workshops, kids and teenagers can also develop their own productions and performances and later present them publicly. Even the very smallest actively participate in the theater at Helios: They sit captivated in the audience, watch the performances specially tailored to their needs - only to be allowed to come on stage themselves afterward. Inspired by the art performances of the 1970s, two-year-olds then become researchers in the so-called "material theater," allowed to pour earth onto the stage or investigate the consistency of water. In "Wood Knocking," they embark on a journey into the world of wooden sounds and images together with a percussionist and a puppeteer.
The Helios Theater is also unafraid to confront young people with complex topics from ecology and society. Even a classic like "Antigone" is used for a lively discussion about values and morals. Feminist stories, which Barbara Kölling tells, among others, through women's biographies from the 1920s, are also central contents of the program. For example, the play "Friedl Dicker" is shown for audiences aged 14 and up. The progressive artist shaped the Weimar Bauhaus. She was murdered in Auschwitz in 1944.
From Hamm to the Whole World
Currently, around nine productions are part of the permanent repertoire of the Helios Theater. Each year, one to two new productions are also created. Whether for the very young or for teenagers - all plays operate at the intersection between art and theater. This is already evident from the participating artists. They come from all kinds of cultural sectors - from acting, puppet theater, and dance to music and visual arts. Helios regularly invites to symposia and conferences to discuss current issues of theater. In connection with this, the small Hammer Theater is also an active member of global networks like the EU-funded "Mapping" project, which scientifically deals with theater for small children.
The Helios Theater has long made a name for itself internationally with its productions and projects. Widely known beyond the borders of North Rhine-Westphalia is the format "hellwach" - an international theater festival for children and teenagers. Since 2002, it has taken place every two years in the so-called Hellweg region between Unna and Lippstadt. Theater people from all over the world are then guests and bring the entire range of artistic narrative forms: dance, music, and acting, puppet and material theater, or stage plays that do not rely on language. Conversely, productions from the Helios Theater are also traveling internationally and have already been seen in Japan, Canada, or India, among others.
At Helios Theater, a playful, appreciative approach to the young audience is highly valued. They are very deliberately seeking dialogue, says Lurse. For him, theater is always also a form of communication, an invitation to all people, regardless of their age or where they come from. When the so-called "refugee crisis" was being discussed all over Europe in 2015, Helios quickly set up storytelling cafes and started several theater projects in refugee accommodations.
Especially children and teenagers from so-called "educationally disadvantaged backgrounds" often do not even know that they are welcome in the theater, says Lurse. "So we have to prove to them that this is also their place, and that you don’t have to be a high school student to go to the theater." Opening such firmly closed doors is one of the most important tasks of the Helios Theater for Lurse. Schools play a key role in this: Helios theater scouts are regularly on the way in local schools and invite to joint projects. Many children and teenagers discover the theater as a place that has nothing to do with lessons or performance. But with freedom.
