REVIERNACHT

In the organizer's words:

Feelings of home? No way!
Leave. Going away. Crossing borders.

Those who leave lose, those who leave keep - a home, a piece of history, a part of themselves.

And one day it returns, the memory, soft as a melody in the wind.

What is home? A place made of earth and stones?
A feeling that breathes?
An image that glows inside us, like a hidden fire?

Or is it just a longing that accompanies us - over streets, over years?

Dreams shape us.
But the scars, the wishes, the unspoken songs of our parents, our grandparents also travel with us - silently from heart to heart, from generation to generation.

In dreamlike images, the mixed-media production interweaves spoken theater, new music and visual art to create a sensual journey through migration, memory and identity.
At the center are questions about home and belonging:
Is home a place - or a feeling? Do dreams, wishes and scars move from generation to generation? And how far do we have to go to find a home?
Szabó himself left Hungary at the age of twelve, while lead actress Natalia Voskoboynikova left Russia at fifteen. Their personal experiences form the basis for a poetic exploration of inner and collective landscapes.

Relevant facts about migration in Germany

These statistical insights give you a framework in which REVIERNACHT positions its narrative:

• At the end of 2024, there were around 14.06 million foreign nationals living in Germany with a registered place of residence in the Central Register of Foreigners - an increase of around 1.2% compared to the previous year.
• In 2024, net immigration to Germany amounted to around 430,000 people - in other words, the number of people who moved to Germany was equal to the number of people who arrived than left.
• In 2023, 1.93 million inflows and 1.27 million outflows were registered - resulting in net migration of +662,964.
• According to the microcensus, there were around 24.9 million people in Germany with a migration background in 2023 - this corresponds to around 29.7% of the total population.
• Of these, around 15.9 million people had their own migration experience (first generation) - i.e. they immigrated themselves.
• People with a history of immigration in Germany are significantly younger on average (average age in 2024: 38.2 years) than people without such a history (47.4 years).
• Germany took in an estimated two million refugees between 2015 and 2024 - this corresponds to approx. 2.4% of the population in 2024.
• approx. 50% of people living in Cologne have a migration background, statistics from 2018

These figures underline how commonplace migration is in Germany - and how much it shapes social reality.

Cast & team

With: Natalia Voskoboynikova
Set design objects: Boshi Nawa
Video art: Ivó Kovács
New music: Lisa Streich, Fennesz, Laura Snowden and others
Technology: Daniel Swoboda
Photo: Oliver Stroemer AMAZE
Press & Public Relations: Ines Langel
Graphics. Layout: Klaus A. Burth
Drawings, text & direction: Kristóf Szabó

Supported by the Cultural Office of the City of Cologne.