The musical focuses on a group of children and young people who discover a mysterious portal while exploring their surroundings. Curiosity and courage drive the group to step through it, and the portal turns out to be a rocket. The young people are catapulted into a series of fascinating but also unsettling worlds. Sometimes the theatre is transformed into a sparkling world full of sweets and a place where children spend all their time playing video games, sometimes into a dark shadowy landscape. Each of these stations offers new challenges and insights. What is particularly remarkable is that each character has their own strengths, abilities and insecurities, which not only become visible during the musical, but also become a source of growth and community. The young performers recognise this: Only through cohesion, trust and mutual support can they find their way through the dream worlds and gain a new perspective on the real world.
At the opening of the event, founder Liz Mohn addressed the performers and the audience: “Every child, every young person brings something special to the table. An idea. A talent. A voice. A step. A thought, enthusiasm and joy. And when all this comes together, something unique is created. Just like this musical.”
This message runs like a red thread through the play and is not only evident on stage, but also in the development process: as with all Cantara productions, the children and young people helped to develop the play. Under the professional guidance of theatre pedagogue Canip Gündogdu, choreographer Andreas Wegwerth and choir director Leila Benazzouz, they spent months rehearsing, trying things out, discussing and creating an impressive production together.
The production not only impressed with its captivating choreography and soulful music, but also with its elaborate visual effects, lighting and video projections, immersing the audience into other worlds. A comprehensive work of art that was brought to life not least by the enthusiasm and commitment of the young performers.
The final applause was never ending – not only from founder Liz Mohn and guests such as Mayor Matthias Trepper, but also from parents, teachers and the many classmates who had travelled in large numbers from Gütersloh, Bielefeld and the surrounding area to experience the children’s musical.
Every year, the Kulturbrücke Cantara project offers children and young people the chance to gain professional insights into acting, dancing, singing and music, to discover their talents and to surpass themselves.
‘Die Weltenspringer und das Portal der Träume’ showed once again that when children and young people are given space to surpass themselves, stories are created that touch, inspire and encourage. The performance will be published on the Liz Mohn Foundation’s YouTube channel in a few weeks: Liz Mohn Stiftung – YouTube.
