What's on in Germany: June 28 – July 4

This Week's Highlights: Japanese films in Cologne, an American play in Frankfurt, and a mediaeval festival in Bretten.




BERLIN



Galleries/Museums


Klub7 – Easy As Pie Exhibition, Reading & Film Screening

The six artists in Klub7 started out doing graffiti in their East German hometown 14 years ago. They moved to Berlin in 2009 and branched out into different artistic areas. One of the things they all still agree on is the fact that chalk rules. An exhibition at Gestalten Space features their chalk creations on the walls and floors, along with urban, pop, and comic artworks. Go see it Friday when radio host Jan Kage, aka Yaneq reads from his new book followed by a short film documenting Klub7's three-week stint in NYC.

Price: Free
Location: Gestalten Space, Sophie-Gips-Höfe, Sophienstrasse 21
Times: Friday and Sunday, noon-8pm; Saturday, 10am-8pm; through Sunday, July 1
Phone: 030 20 21 58 21
More Information: www.gestalten.com



Film


Gerhard Richter Painting

Over the last half century, Gerhard Richter has honed a startlingly original painting technique. His works stand alone, unparalleled in their originality. How does he do it? A new film by Corinne Belz offers fans a view into the German painter's creative process. See it Wednesday night under the stars when it screens in German with English subtitles at Freiluftkino Friedrichshain.

Price: €6.50
Location: Freiluftkino Friedrichshain, Volkspark Friedrichshain
Times: Wednesday, July 4, 9:45pm
More Information: www.freiluftkino-berlin.de




BRETTEN


Festivals


Peter and Paul Festival

Between Stuttgart and Heidelberg, Bretten is one of those old German towns full of historic half-timbered houses. Every year, the town's market square and narrow old streets fill with the sites and sounds of mediaeval times as the Peter and Paul Festival swings into gear. Everyone's in costume, so dress like a peasant or a knight and stomp your feet to the music of the troubadour as you sip a tasty mug of honey mead this weekend.

Price: Free
Location: Bretten Marktplatz and Surrounding Areas
Times: Friday, June 29 – Monday, July 2
More Information: www.peter-und-paul.de




COLOGNE


Events


Summer Festival at the Orangerie

An Italian storyteller, a French music trio, and a Polish jazz group will set up among the leafy environs of Cologne's Volksgarten Saturday for a summer festival organized by the Cologne Literature House. Readings for adults and children join a workshop in origami, a photo session with clothing from Japan, and bite-sized language courses in a fun international program.

Price: €5
Location: Orangerie, Volksgartenstrasse 25
Times: Saturday, June 30, 3pm
More Information: www.literaturhaus-koeln.de




Music/Concerts


Amatorski

In 2010 this Belgian band made a splash at Rock Rally – a biannual battle of the bands organized by Belgian magazine HUMO. Ever since, the band has been making waves across Europe. Their follow-up to Same Stars We Shared, re:tbc is full of fragile metallic beats and melancholic vocal murmurings. Step into the reverb Wednesday when they set up at Studio 672.

Price: €15
Location: Studio 672, Venloer-Strasse 40
Times: Wednesday, July 4, 8:30pm
More Information: www.schoneberg.de




Film


Japanese Film Series

There's something so ethereal about Japanese cinema from the postwar period. Stunning black and white scenes flicker across the screen with the grace of a samurai. The Japan Foundation in Cologne is showing a series of films produced by the Daiei Motion Picture Company in the decades following World War II. This week, see Kon Ichikawa's Conflagration (1958), Teinosuke Kinugasa's Gate of Hell (1953), and Daisuke Ito's Benten Boy (1958). All in Japanese with English subtitles.

Price: Free
Location: The Japan Foundation, Universitätsstrasse 98

Times: Various times through September 29
Phone: 0221 940 55 80
More Information: www.jki.de





DUSSELDORF



Theatre


The Thirsty Hart

Gotta love a play that takes place in a bar. Australian playwright Caitlin White collaborated with the actors, who drew on improvisation to develop The Thirsty Hart. See the premiere Friday in Dusseldorf, then party with the cast.

Price: €10
Location: Hans Peter Zimmer Stiftung, Conzertsaal, Ronsdorfer Strasse 77a
Times: Friday, June 29, 8:30pm
Phone: 0‪‪211 733 15 18
More Information: www.playherenow.info




FRANKFURT



Theatre


The Foreigner

Need a good laugh? A professional proofreader takes on the persona of a foreigner who doesn't understand English in American playwright Larry Shue's farce The Foreigner. Sounds funny right? It is. If you didn't have a chance to catch the comedic play last spring, you're in luck! TLS Frankfurt is holding two more performances this weekend. Take a seat in the audience and have a good giggle.

Price: €17
Location: Das Internationale Theater, Hanauer Landstrasse 7
Times: Saturday, June 30, 8pm and Sunday, July 2, 4pm
More Information: www.tlsfrankfurt.com



Events


Cervantes Institute Summer Festival

School's out for summer at the Cervantes Institute and that friendly group of Spanish speakers would like to invite you to a garden party to celebrate the season. It's sure to be a fun day with a fleamarket, a choir, flamenco music and dancing, and a DJ. Go and practice your Spanish! Or just smile and dance.

Price: Free
Location: Instituto Cervantes 
Frankfurt
Staufenstrasse 1
Times: Saturday, June 30, 2pm
More Information: frankfurt.cervantes.es




MUNICH



Galleries/Museums


Exhibition Opening - Patrik Habl: Copy/Plagiarism

Patrik Habl does lovely things with shapes and colors, but the Czech artist has been known to go beyond the visual boundary and incorporate a conceptional element into his art. For the third installment of his three-part show at Galerie Kalt, the artist investigates the reproduction of intellectual property – namely, his own paintings, which he had copied by artists in India, China, the United States, and Africa. Take a look and ponder authenticity at the exhibition opening Thursday night.

Price: Free
Location: Galerie Kalt,
 Guldeinstrasse 40a
Times: Thursday, June 28, 7-9pm (Opening); Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 4-8pm; Thursday, 4-6; through July 28 (Regular Hours)
Phone: 089 714 77 41
More Information: www.galerie-kalt.de




WILHELMSHAVEN



Festivals


Weekend on the Jade

Feel the cool North Sea breezes this weekend in Wilhelmshaven. The coastal city in northern Germany kicks off its annual maritime festival Thursday. Set sail aboard a historic tall ship, cheer on the dragon boat racers, and ooh and aah at the fireworks show. Dozens of live bands, a showcase of street art, fun fair rides for all ages, and a bay full of beautiful boats make this an extravaganza worth hopping on a train for.

Price: Free
Location: Various locations around the Wilhelmshaven harbour
Times: Thursday, June 28 – Sunday, July 1
More Information: www.wochenendeanderjade.de