With the premiere of the musical “Game On” by PELLE Musical Kids, the Gesellschaftshaus Herzfelde has once again become the venue for a public cultural event for the first time since its refurbishment. In front of an audience of around 100 guests, the ensemble from TRS Kulturexpress e. V. celebrated a highly acclaimed premiere on Sunday, thereby continuing the venue’s long cultural tradition.
The community centre is known to many Herzfeld residents primarily as a sports hall. A look back at its history, however, reveals that the building was the hub of the town’s social life for decades. Historical records recall military manoeuvres, fire brigade balls and New Year’s Eve balls, school theatre performances, political meetings and coffee parties. With the performance of ‘Game On’, public theatre has now returned to this stage for the first time in many years.
In the opening address by the local council, it was stated: “This means that Herzfelde is regaining a part of its cultural heart.”
The municipality of Rüdersdorf near Berlin invested around 700,000 euros in the refurbishment of the community centre, of which around 500,000 euros came from grant funding. The aim of the project was to restore the building to its role as a venue for social gatherings and cultural life. The premiere of ‘Game On’ sent a clear signal to that effect. Whilst the Rüdersdorf Cultural Centre is still undergoing renovation, the Herzfelde Community Centre is now once again available as a venue for cultural events.
The PELLE Musical Kids provided the first public cultural event following the refurbishment with their new musical, ‘Game On’. This original production, developed by the group themselves, transports the audience to an enchanted games museum, where a group of children, whilst searching for inspiration, fall into the clutches of a mysterious games master. Only after overcoming numerous challenges do they manage to break the spell. In the process, they discover that the Game Master himself is also a prisoner of the museum. Together, they finally find their way to freedom.
The musical was created during a two-week holiday musical camp. The participants, aged between 5 and 20, developed the production together with their tutors in the fields of singing, acting and dance. Stephan Wapenhans directed the production. Alongside the daily rehearsals, the ensemble bonded into a close-knit community through a varied leisure programme – an atmosphere that was also reflected on stage.
The project was organised by TRS Kulturexpress e. V. as part of the Holiday Musical Camp Weeks. The musical was funded as part of the ‘Märkisches Musiktheater’ project by the Märkisch-Oderland district, the municipality of Rüdersdorf near Berlin, ‘POP II GO’ through the federal ‘Kultur macht stark’ programme, and FAG funds from the State of Brandenburg. The premiere afternoon ended with a long round of applause, impressively demonstrating how the refurbished Gesellschaftshaus Herzfelde can once again become a vibrant venue for culture and social interaction.
Amidst prolonged applause and beaming faces, the premiere came to a close – an afternoon that not only breathed new cultural life into the Gesellschaftshaus Herzfelde, but also demonstrated just how much passion and talent there is in the region’s work with young talent.