WHO?
Panzerkreuzer Rotkäppchen (short: PKRK) is a theater collective from Berlin. PKRK was founded in 2009 by Susann Neuenfeldt, Werner Tuerk and Simon Strick. In 2012, choreographer and dancer Maike Möller-Engemann joined PKRK. In the meantime, PKRK has built its own ensemble, staff and technical team.
WHAT?
PKRK’s theater work focuses on themes of the GDR and Post-GDR. PKRK dramatises the unarticulated, the repressed and the uncomfortable remnants on the East-West-Axis. PKRK works for and with empowering post-socialist narratives.
HOW?
PKRK develops plays and produces world premieres. In all its productions, PKRK takes a 1. documentary, 2. feminist, and 3. site specific approach:
1. PKRK works with documentary material, but is not a classical documentary theater. It combines documentary research with theatrical Verfremdung, dance and dream logics.
2. PKRK works primarily with female perspectives and voices. Actresses play the leading roles in PKRK plays or embody traditionally male heroes.
3. PKRK focuses on local ties in its theater work. PKRK’s productions take place in the locations of their themes, e.g. in a former NVA prison (2012), a lawyer’s office (2014), on Berlin Alexanderplatz (2019), in a factory hall (2020), a techno club (2021), or former Stasi headquarters (2022).
WHERE DOES THE NAME COME FROM?
The name “Battleship Riding Hood” comes from what we call in German “a Schnapsidee”. It is a reference to the movie “Battleship Potemkin” (1925). We refer to the Russian avant-garde of film:
Because we work avant-garde
Because we are a tanker that is set on an “eastern course” with each new theater project.
Because we work like a ship’s crew.
“Red Riding Hood” describes a format in which we prefer to work: in the political fairy tale and its unconscious.
ENSEMBLE, STAFF AND TECHNICAL TEAM
Susann Neuenfeldt
Artistic director and production manager
Literature and cultural studies scholar. Doctorate in American Studies. 2004-2009 assistant director and production manager at Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin, Volksbühne Berlin, HAU 1 & 2 Berlin, Skala Leipzig under the direction of Mareike Mikat, among others. 2011 to 2014 she worked as a house director at Theaterkapelle Berlin under the directorship of Christina Emig-Könning. Artistic research and lectureships at HU Berlin, UdK Berlin, New York University and IES Abroad. Founder of PKRK 2009, artistic director and director of PKRK. Bone worker on the East-West-Axis. Postsocialist deeproler.
Simon Strick
Text and acting
Founding member of PKRK. Works in text, image and theory since 1995. PhD in American Studies. Media and gender researcher with positions at HU Berlin, University of Virginia, ZeM Brandenburg, among others. Has written academically on pain, Nazis, IPhones, silence, bodies, racism, Jesus, etc. Materials and texts with PKRK on infanticide, tycoons, lies, drugs, and Suzanne Vega. Writing is dirty work.
Werner Turk
Dramaturgy and stage
Since the 1980s dramaturgical consultant for Eva Heldrich, among others at TIF Dresden, Staatstheater Stuttgart, Uckermärkische Bühnen Schwedt. Former teacher of biology and physics in Berlin Neukölln. Several film productions. Founded PKRK in 2009. Stage concepts and realization for PKRK since 2010. Working Class Dancer
Maike Möller-Engemann
Choreography and Acting
Bachelor of Dance / Diploma in Acting. 2003 move to Berlin as dancer of Constanza Macras. Performing-choreographic work at Schaubühne, HAU, Volksbühne, Kampnagel HH, Micadanse Paris. Numerous leading film roles for cinema and TV. Since 2012 leading choreographer and performer for PKRK. Lectureships UDK, HU Berlin, Performance Zentrum Hellerau, Goldoni, Schule 1, Kinderoper Lichtenberg. Emotional machine, political dancer. All-purpose weapon
Maria Ullrich
Party Planner* & Accounting
Cultural scholar in spe. Project hopper. Theater festival Unithea, Kleist Forum Frankfurt Oder, Musicbase Brandenburg. Organizer and feel-good juggler for clubs, festivals and cultural projects. Rather late shift than early shift. Dirty Talk & Money Talk for PKRK since 2021. eagle eye, mood cannon, naughty girl.
Kerstin Hurbain
Dancer
Trained artist in the field of physical theater and dance. Since 2016 member of the Do-Theater Company. Dancer and actress in numerous performances – including International Stage Workshop Festival (Graz, Austria), Teatro Libero (Palermo, Italy), Die Zauberflöte at the Philharmonie des Luxembourgs, performance with the Companie Bodecker and Neander, music video shoots. Dancer with PKRK since 2019. Time walker – animated, moving, moving past visitor.
Jenny Helene Wübbe
Performance and Dance
Trained actress from Hamburg, moving to Berlin in 2019. Since then active in the independent scene, further training in dance. Assistant director & production manager at syn:format. Close directorial collaboration with Marlene Jaschke. Since 2019 as a performer/dancer at PKRK. Emotional mover – ready for any assignment.
Hans Narva
Sound design
Musician/ Performer. Self-taught, in the past he worked on music projects such as “Made in Bangladesh”, Helena Waldmann, “Eine Atempause – Geschichte wird gemacht! // Wodychnjenje – stawizny nastanu! A Futurological Symposium on Sorbs and Germans”, Juliane Meckert or “41189 – Theater of Revolution”, PKRK. Currently, musical works on the topics of Treuhand and techno for the project “TreuhandTechno”, also PKRK. Since 2012 sound design and musical direction at PKRK. Soundutopist. Melancholist.
Dorothea Löbbermann
Actress
Literature and cultural studies scholar. Actress with PKRK since 2012. Hannibal Lektor and Christa Wolf; war/peace/space care angel not only at Christmas time but also at bedside with John & Yoko. PhD in American Studies. Lectureship at HU Berlin and IES Abroad. No short-haired yellow-bellied son of трики дики is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me with just a pocketful of hope.
Anna Stiede
Communication and Performance
Political science and communication trainer. Since 2009 political image maker with works for Istoreco Institute Reggio Emilia, ACUD, Creamcake, Reinbeckhallen, Berliner Festspiele, HAU, among others. Presenter for Theaterensemble o.N., Bundesverband Darstellende Künste, foundations, among others; show presenter for “Back to the Future Soundsystem”, United We Talk Berliner Club Commission. With PKRK she rehearses theater as “controlled madness” (h. müller) since 2019. Human, machine or both. Raver. Eastern emo troublemaker.
Richard Pfützenreuter
Freelance dramaturge and performer
Studied theater studies and ethnology in Berlin. Since 2010 dramaturgy and assistant director for Volksbühne, Neumarkt Theater Zurich and Sophiensäle. Develops solo performances, video installations and radio features, most recently on Ronald M. Schernikau. Joined PkRk in 2017 to uncover history together. Responsible for dramaturgy, research and contemporary witnesses. Archaeologist in East German steppes.