Dear All,
the state of euphoria and the frenzy of 11/11 in the city have passed. The Cologne team is once again busy preparing for the IFTR, which we are very much looking forward to. We would therefore like to use the third newsletter to introduce the main team’s workspace: the Theatre Collection at Wahn Castle.
It is a bit out of the way, but very close by public transport: the S-Bahn from Cologne Central Station to »Wahn S-Bahn« only takes 20 minutes and from there it is a 5-minute walk to the castle. Perhaps you can find some time to visit the castle during the conference? We work in this wonderful 18th-century building and our »Fools of the Week« greet us daily in the foyer.
Two stone figures from the Italian commedia dell’arte (16-18th centuries) guard our huge collection of Archivalia: Scaramouche and Arlecchino are the carnivalesque kings of a realm of performance that ranges from optical gimmicks to the worlds of revue, theatre, dance, opera to magical artistry. Their silent skirmishing is said to inspire animated discussions among all visitors but should not obscure how their encounter usually ends. »Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the fandango?« cries Arlecchino, laughing mischievously, making the Spanish-clad show-off dance, only to then expose him as just that. In Harlinesque logic, there is only one appropriate response to such behavior – a good thrashing!
Sometimes, the path to the archive also tries to transform you into a brawling Arlecchino – namely when the S-Bahn is late again. But: »Et hätt noch immer jot jejange,« say the people of Cologne, meaning that it will work out in the end. If you are unlucky enough to miss the train, the people of Cologne have another saying: »Wat fott es, es fott« (what's gone is gone). Hopefully not the good and clever ideas and inspirations around the topic of Performing Carnival!
But that can't be the case, because today, in the middle of a cold and grey November, the sun is shining happily.
Mathilde Frank
for the Cologne Team