FESTE- Familie Floz Theatre - Germany - Polish Premiere
11.10.2026 Sunday 19:00 - Ursynowskie Centrum Kultury "Alternatywy" - Sheakspire Stage
Duration of the show 70 min. Audience 7+
The performance "Feste" brings the audience to an impressive villa by the sea, where preparations are underway for a lavish wedding. While the hosts celebrate an important event, behind the scenes the everyday work is carried out by those who usually remain invisible: cooks, cleaners, caretakers and service staff. Each of them tries to find their place in a world dominated by social divisions and dependencies.
When a mysterious woman in an advanced stage of pregnancy appears in the courtyard, the established order gradually begins to fall apart. The stranger brings a new energy into the lives of the house's inhabitants, setting in motion a series of transformations that allow the characters to see themselves and others from an entirely new perspective. In the shadow of the wedding preparations, a story is born about dignity, hope, closeness and the power of human relationships.
"Feste" is a wordless fairy tale for adults, in which humour intertwines with melancholy, and physical comedy meets a profound reflection on human fate. The characteristic style of Familie Flöz makes each character, despite the stillness of the mask, feel remarkably true, moving and close.
Familie Flöz is an international theatre company based in Berlin, regarded as one of the most important contemporary companies developing mask theatre in connection with pantomime. Originating from the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, the company has for years consistently restored the mask to its full theatrical power, treating it not as an impressive prop, but as the centre of a theatrical language.
The company's name, taken from the title of its first collective performance "Familie Flöz kommt Über Tage", also contains a metaphor for its work. In mining terminology, the word "Flöz" refers to layers of earth in which valuable resources are hidden. Similarly, in the work of Familie Flöz, emotions, fears, desires and the comedy of human life are brought to the surface from beneath everyday situations, gestures and relationships.
Each performance is created through a collective artistic process in which improvisation, writing, precise acting work and the mask interpenetrate one another. From this encounter, archetypal characters emerge: wordless, yet exceptionally clear, fragile, funny and deeply human.
To date, Familie Flöz has created 15 full-length performances, often escaping simple genre classifications. Their theatre combines pantomime, physical comedy, clowning, dance, visual theatre and poetic narration. As a result, it remains understandable beyond the boundaries of language, culture and the audience's age.
The company's performances have been presented in dozens of countries, and Familie Flöz has gained international recognition thanks to its unique combination of formal precision, humour, melancholy and emotional depth. It is a theatre in which silence becomes a language in its own right, and the mask, though motionless, is able to laugh, cry, move us and tell us more about the human being than words ever could.