Go to the Theater to be amazed

The shows of Familie Flöz have been performed in as many as 34 countries.

Everything started in 1994, when a group of students from the mime course at the Follkwang University of Essen (known for having Pina Bausch among its faculty) began to craft masks to experiment with new forms of expression. Among these students were Hajo Schüler, Markus Michalowskie, and later the director Michael Vogel.

In 1996, thanks to the permission of the Westfälische Industriemuseum (Westphalian Industrial Museum), which then sponsored them, the company was able to use the space of a decommissioned coal factory in Bochum for rehearsals of their performances. It was in this space that the original play “Familie Flöz kommt über Tage” was performed, a tribute to the workers of the Ruhr area. Success soon followed from both the audience and critics, leading to performances of the show in various parts of Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Slovakia.

Since the Edinburgh Festival in 2001, the company, which was previously called “Flöz Production,” has adopted its current name Familie Flöz.

The name derives from the small “Flöz” stripes made up of precious minerals that are found in ore stones. As with precious materials, the bizarre family emerges from the depths of the Earth’s crust. The metaphor perfectly represents the development and creation of the company’s stories and characters in their creative process of a language, which starts from a chiaroscuro phase and ends in the symbiotic act between mask and actor.

In 2006, the Flöz Sommer-Akademie was founded in Italy by the artistic and production director of the company, Gianni Bettucci.

The Academy takes place every year at the Abbey of San Giusto in Tuscania and welcomes around 30 young actors and artists from all over the world during the central months of the summer period. In the academy led by Valentina Bordenave, Björn Leese, Thomas Rascher, Hajo Schüler, and Michael Vogel, a range of work is proposed, from acting with masks, to the development of characters and scenes, to the construction of the mask.

At the end of 2013, the company moved to Berlin Weißensee where Studio Flöz has become a center for production and creation for physical and international theater

As can be understood from the extraordinary history of this theater company, one can only expect something original and never seen before. So if you missed the performances in Treviso, chase them in the theaters of nearby cities. Absolutely unmissable.

Feste is a wordless fairy tale for adults, in a poetic blend of tragedy and slapstick. A story about the search for individual happiness, but behind which lies something much deeper.

Especially at the end of the show, it is revealed that the myriad of characters has been portrayed by only three men, who have characterized them not only with masks and costumes but with exceptional mimicry, without using a single word.

It is the theater company Familie Flöz, or Familie Floez, which is an international theater company based in Berlin.

The shows that the company creates and produces come to life from a long introspective and collective process that spans different theatrical disciplines including puppetry, mask theater, dance, clowning, acrobatics, magic, and improvisation^.

In its theatrical work, the company uses an unconventional body language that, through the use of masks and costumes, reveals what is hidden in the human soul.

The Familie Flöz uses what are defined as “antelinguistic” means because the masks not only have a shape but also a content that develops with the mask and the acting, culminating in a symbiotic act with the actor as the final result.

The shows of Familie Flöz have been performed in as many as 34 countries.

Everything started in 1994, when a group of students from the mime course at the Follkwang University of Essen (known for having Pina Bausch among its faculty) began to craft masks to experiment with new forms of expression. Among these students were Hajo Schüler, Markus Michalowskie, and later the director Michael Vogel.

In 1996, thanks to the permission of the Westfälische Industriemuseum (Westphalian Industrial Museum), which then sponsored them, the company was able to use the space of a decommissioned coal factory in Bochum for rehearsals of their performances. It was in this space that the original play “Familie Flöz kommt über Tage” was performed, a tribute to the workers of the Ruhr area. Success soon followed from both the audience and critics, leading to performances of the show in various parts of Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Slovakia.

Since the Edinburgh Festival in 2001, the company, which was previously called “Flöz Production,” has adopted its current name Familie Flöz.

The name derives from the small “Flöz” stripes made up of precious minerals that are found in ore stones. As with precious materials, the bizarre family emerges from the depths of the Earth’s crust. The metaphor perfectly represents the development and creation of the company’s stories and characters in their creative process of a language, which starts from a chiaroscuro phase and ends in the symbiotic act between mask and actor.

In 2006, the Flöz Sommer-Akademie was founded in Italy by the artistic and production director of the company, Gianni Bettucci.

The Academy takes place every year at the Abbey of San Giusto in Tuscania and welcomes around 30 young actors and artists from all over the world during the central months of the summer period. In the academy led by Valentina Bordenave, Björn Leese, Thomas Rascher, Hajo Schüler, and Michael Vogel, a range of work is proposed, from acting with masks, to the development of characters and scenes, to the construction of the mask.

At the end of 2013, the company moved to Berlin Weißensee where Studio Flöz has become a center for production and creation for physical and international theater

As can be understood from the extraordinary history of this theater company, one can only expect something original and never seen before. So if you missed the performances in Treviso, chase them in the theaters of nearby cities. Absolutely unmissable.

In a majestic seaside villa, everything is ready for the celebration of a wedding and the ensuing party. Behind the villa, there is a courtyard, dirty and chaotic, where the staff works tirelessly to cook, prepare, supervise, clean, and tidy up. From the caretaker to the cook, from the cleaner to the manager, everyone is doing their best to make the party in the manor an unforgettable experience. In the shadow of the villa, the servants try to secure their place in the rigid hierarchical order. Condemned to live a life in the background, they struggle for dignity and respect from the strong and the wealthy.

When a woman appears in the courtyard, this order is slowly but inevitably disrupted. Pregnant and with a heavy backpack, she seeks refuge in the courtyard. In exchange for protection and the bare necessities, she discreetly offers her help. Like magic, the stranger weaves a dense network of relationships, and the lives of the residents and staff begin to change imperceptibly. Rigidity gives way to flexibility, unattainable desires are fulfilled, and panic attacks are calmed by the strength of new life.

While the wedding is celebrated in the villa with glamour, parties, and dances, the celebration of life takes place in the courtyard, with all its depths and contradictions.

Feste is a wordless fairy tale for adults, in a poetic blend of tragedy and slapstick. A story about the search for individual happiness, but behind which lies something much deeper.

Especially at the end of the show, it is revealed that the myriad of characters has been portrayed by only three men, who have characterized them not only with masks and costumes but with exceptional mimicry, without using a single word.

It is the theater company Familie Flöz, or Familie Floez, which is an international theater company based in Berlin.

The shows that the company creates and produces come to life from a long introspective and collective process that spans different theatrical disciplines including puppetry, mask theater, dance, clowning, acrobatics, magic, and improvisation^.

In its theatrical work, the company uses an unconventional body language that, through the use of masks and costumes, reveals what is hidden in the human soul.

The Familie Flöz uses what are defined as “antelinguistic” means because the masks not only have a shape but also a content that develops with the mask and the acting, culminating in a symbiotic act with the actor as the final result.

The shows of Familie Flöz have been performed in as many as 34 countries.

Everything started in 1994, when a group of students from the mime course at the Follkwang University of Essen (known for having Pina Bausch among its faculty) began to craft masks to experiment with new forms of expression. Among these students were Hajo Schüler, Markus Michalowskie, and later the director Michael Vogel.

In 1996, thanks to the permission of the Westfälische Industriemuseum (Westphalian Industrial Museum), which then sponsored them, the company was able to use the space of a decommissioned coal factory in Bochum for rehearsals of their performances. It was in this space that the original play “Familie Flöz kommt über Tage” was performed, a tribute to the workers of the Ruhr area. Success soon followed from both the audience and critics, leading to performances of the show in various parts of Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Slovakia.

Since the Edinburgh Festival in 2001, the company, which was previously called “Flöz Production,” has adopted its current name Familie Flöz.

The name derives from the small “Flöz” stripes made up of precious minerals that are found in ore stones. As with precious materials, the bizarre family emerges from the depths of the Earth’s crust. The metaphor perfectly represents the development and creation of the company’s stories and characters in their creative process of a language, which starts from a chiaroscuro phase and ends in the symbiotic act between mask and actor.

In 2006, the Flöz Sommer-Akademie was founded in Italy by the artistic and production director of the company, Gianni Bettucci.

The Academy takes place every year at the Abbey of San Giusto in Tuscania and welcomes around 30 young actors and artists from all over the world during the central months of the summer period. In the academy led by Valentina Bordenave, Björn Leese, Thomas Rascher, Hajo Schüler, and Michael Vogel, a range of work is proposed, from acting with masks, to the development of characters and scenes, to the construction of the mask.

At the end of 2013, the company moved to Berlin Weißensee where Studio Flöz has become a center for production and creation for physical and international theater

As can be understood from the extraordinary history of this theater company, one can only expect something original and never seen before. So if you missed the performances in Treviso, chase them in the theaters of nearby cities. Absolutely unmissable.

The show Feste has enchanted the audience

Often people go to the theater as a good habit and choose shows by genre or cultural affinity. In reality, in this case, people, unless they already know the genre, are surprised by what they will see on stage.

In fact, the show begins and ends with the curtain open, and while the audience takes their seats, the first characters already appear, but they have something special that characterizes them: large rubber masks.

Then the story of this show begins.

In a majestic seaside villa, everything is ready for the celebration of a wedding and the ensuing party. Behind the villa, there is a courtyard, dirty and chaotic, where the staff works tirelessly to cook, prepare, supervise, clean, and tidy up. From the caretaker to the cook, from the cleaner to the manager, everyone is doing their best to make the party in the manor an unforgettable experience. In the shadow of the villa, the servants try to secure their place in the rigid hierarchical order. Condemned to live a life in the background, they struggle for dignity and respect from the strong and the wealthy.

When a woman appears in the courtyard, this order is slowly but inevitably disrupted. Pregnant and with a heavy backpack, she seeks refuge in the courtyard. In exchange for protection and the bare necessities, she discreetly offers her help. Like magic, the stranger weaves a dense network of relationships, and the lives of the residents and staff begin to change imperceptibly. Rigidity gives way to flexibility, unattainable desires are fulfilled, and panic attacks are calmed by the strength of new life.

While the wedding is celebrated in the villa with glamour, parties, and dances, the celebration of life takes place in the courtyard, with all its depths and contradictions.

Feste is a wordless fairy tale for adults, in a poetic blend of tragedy and slapstick. A story about the search for individual happiness, but behind which lies something much deeper.

Especially at the end of the show, it is revealed that the myriad of characters has been portrayed by only three men, who have characterized them not only with masks and costumes but with exceptional mimicry, without using a single word.

It is the theater company Familie Flöz, or Familie Floez, which is an international theater company based in Berlin.

The shows that the company creates and produces come to life from a long introspective and collective process that spans different theatrical disciplines including puppetry, mask theater, dance, clowning, acrobatics, magic, and improvisation^.

In its theatrical work, the company uses an unconventional body language that, through the use of masks and costumes, reveals what is hidden in the human soul.

The Familie Flöz uses what are defined as “antelinguistic” means because the masks not only have a shape but also a content that develops with the mask and the acting, culminating in a symbiotic act with the actor as the final result.

The shows of Familie Flöz have been performed in as many as 34 countries.

Everything started in 1994, when a group of students from the mime course at the Follkwang University of Essen (known for having Pina Bausch among its faculty) began to craft masks to experiment with new forms of expression. Among these students were Hajo Schüler, Markus Michalowskie, and later the director Michael Vogel.

In 1996, thanks to the permission of the Westfälische Industriemuseum (Westphalian Industrial Museum), which then sponsored them, the company was able to use the space of a decommissioned coal factory in Bochum for rehearsals of their performances. It was in this space that the original play “Familie Flöz kommt über Tage” was performed, a tribute to the workers of the Ruhr area. Success soon followed from both the audience and critics, leading to performances of the show in various parts of Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Slovakia.

Since the Edinburgh Festival in 2001, the company, which was previously called “Flöz Production,” has adopted its current name Familie Flöz.

The name derives from the small “Flöz” stripes made up of precious minerals that are found in ore stones. As with precious materials, the bizarre family emerges from the depths of the Earth’s crust. The metaphor perfectly represents the development and creation of the company’s stories and characters in their creative process of a language, which starts from a chiaroscuro phase and ends in the symbiotic act between mask and actor.

In 2006, the Flöz Sommer-Akademie was founded in Italy by the artistic and production director of the company, Gianni Bettucci.

The Academy takes place every year at the Abbey of San Giusto in Tuscania and welcomes around 30 young actors and artists from all over the world during the central months of the summer period. In the academy led by Valentina Bordenave, Björn Leese, Thomas Rascher, Hajo Schüler, and Michael Vogel, a range of work is proposed, from acting with masks, to the development of characters and scenes, to the construction of the mask.

At the end of 2013, the company moved to Berlin Weißensee where Studio Flöz has become a center for production and creation for physical and international theater

As can be understood from the extraordinary history of this theater company, one can only expect something original and never seen before. So if you missed the performances in Treviso, chase them in the theaters of nearby cities. Absolutely unmissable.