BIP HAMBURG 2025
Title: Sustainable Theatre: Atmospheres. Concretely Diffuse.
Content: The Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) “Sustainable Theatre: Atmospheres. Concretely Diffuse.” brings together directing students from across Europe (Alexandria Nova) to explore the interconnections between ecological, social, and artistic sustainability. Through hands-on workshops, theoretical input, critical discussions, and collaborative projects, participants will develop innovative theatre practices inspired by atmospheric and weather-related metaphors, bridging the abstract with the tangible.
Course Type: BIP-course / Level of study: BA and MA
Credits: 5 ECTS + 1 ECTS for a written reflection
Place: Hamburg University of Music and Theatre
Blended learning course: 50% online, 50% on-site
Timeframe: Week 9–10, 2025
Mon, 24 – Fri, 28 February 2025: Online learning
10am – 1pm: Independent study; flexible, self-chosen time slots;
contact persons available via email during this period
3pm – 6pm: Live online sessions with in-person participation;
featuring innovative teaching formats
Mon, 3 – Fri, 7 March 2025: On-site sessions in Hamburg
Sun, 2 March 2025: Arrival in Hamburg; 8pm: Informal kick-off session
3 – 6 March: 10am – 3pm: Project-based classes in theory and practice, including an exchange of experiences with renowned artists
8pm: Various evening events in Hamburg theatres
(Thalia Theater, Schauspielhaus, Kampnagel)
7 March: 10am – 1pm: Closing session
Teaching: Katharina Alsen, Benjamin Sprick, Margo Zālīte
Exchange coordinator: Katharina Alsen
Application deadline: 15 January 2025
Biographies
Katharina Alsen
Katharina Alsen studied History of Art and Visual Culture at the University of Oxford, as well as Literary Studies, Theology, and Philosophy at the University of Hamburg. During her studies, she was awarded scholarships from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation and the German Academic Exchange Service. She has been a doctoral fellow in the international research training group ‘InterArt’ and a Global Humanities Junior Fellow in the research network ‘Principles of Cultural Dynamics’, both at Freie Universität Berlin. Additionally, she has held visiting scholarships in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Reykjavík, and Hong Kong.
Since 2019, she has been a research associate at Hamburg University of Music and Theatre (HfMT). Her research interests include intimacy in performance and installation art, visual arts in the Nordic region and its peripheries, and cultural animal studies with a special focus on cultural entomology.
https://www.katharinaalsen.com/
Dr. Benjamin Sprick
Benjamin Sprick was born in 1980 in Hamburg and studied Cello, Philosophy, and Music Theory. As a cellist, he performed with the NDR Symphony Orchestra Hamburg and is currently a member of several chamber music ensembles. In 2020, he completed his doctorate at Hamburg Academy of Fine Arts (HfBK) with a thesis on Gilles Deleuze and music aesthetics. He now teaches cello as a lecturer and Applied Philosophy and Aesthetics as a research associate at Hamburg University of Music and Theatre (HfMT). His research explores a critique of instrumental reason and examines the complex relationships between ‘art’, ‘economy’, and ‘bourgeoisie’.
Margo Zālīte
Margo Zālīte is an artist and curator with a focus on social and ecological justice, working both nationally and internationally. Her background in Visual Anthropology at Freie Universität Berlin and a master's degree in Opera Directing from Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, combined with extensive multidisciplinary project experience in Latvia, Poland, and Germany, have been instrumental in shaping her distinctive stage interpretations. As an alumna of ‘Akademie Musiktheater heute’ (2011–2013), she has several years of experience writing librettos, scenarios, essays, and plays, including works for student and youth theatre. She also conceptualises performances for unconventional theatre spaces. Currently, Margo is part of the artistic leadership team at the FAVORITEN festival, one of Germany's oldest independent performing arts festivals.
- Dozent:in: Benjamin Sprick