Adventures without borders -
History brought to the Point
The Memorial Place Point Alpha offers, in cooperation with actors and theater teachers Friederike (East) and Oliver (West) Nedelmann of the "freies eisenacher burgtheater" a new project, which presents the Cold War, the border, the partition of Germany, and life in the GDR in a very realistic way. Valuable especially for school and youth groups.
The authentic atmosphere of Point Alpha and the uniqueness of the project address emotional aspects of learning.
For today's students the Cold War and the partition of Germany are a closed chapter of history which, in their perception, has no more meaning for them. We attempt to give a face to the facts and numbers in the history books.
Theater performances and role playing show realistically what is difficult to understand in theory.
The contents of one-day excursions can be developed in greater detail for groups that remain for longer periods. Role playing creates a time tunnel which transports young people back to the days of the Cold War. Various media (theater, writing, photography) can be combined for maximum effect. This way, a presentable scene collage can be created, which provides a picture of the border and its effects in small scenes reflecting theatrically what visitors experienced on Point Alpha. Overnight stays in the former American Barracks are an experience that the young people will not forget.
Such a project can be expanded in many ways, here a few ideas:
Read stories, ask questions, play, take home.
Switch roles East/West
Analysis of East-West marriages prior to and after re-unification
Discussion - how close were we to war?
Experiences of a GDR border soldier - meetings at the border/the fear in case of an escape attempt.
Life in the restricted area (East)/border area (West)
"Der Blaue Bock"/A kettle of color - art and its mission
The small and large border traffic
The political joke - a valve for frustration and disappointed expectations
The development of two societies
Chances of and hope for re-unification
Realistic utilitarian art in many shapes
These subjects can be expanded and supported by experts at will and in accordance with the needs of the school and youth groups.
Allocated time, exact sequence and possible changes to the contents are flexible.
www.pointalpha.com
