I dream that we are standing on the flat roof. In front of us, the sea of houses in this large city stretching to the horizon. Above us, a beautiful evening sky, and birds. Lots of birds. And strangely – I can understand them. Then we go downstairs, the room looks like an old ballroom, stalls, lots of people and there’s a stage with David, my nephew, on it. He’s an actor, but he lives in Berlin, doesn’t he?
This dream came to me in 2001, three years before I was elected Artistic Director of the Neukölln Opera. At the time, I was still at the Deutsches Theater in Göttingen and had no idea what was to come. Now it’s the year 2025 and nobody warned me that the clocks in this city would run at least twice or three times as fast. This summer, we will say goodbye to each other with a triptych of different stories, music and styles. Because this diversity is what makes the NKO so unique. I would like to thank you for everything you have brought us with your interest and visit. And I would like to thank all the artists and colleagues at the NKO for these years that we have been able to create and celebrate together.
Bernhard Glocksin
P.S.: By the way, my nephew never performed here, too much film and television. And the birds… ok, I still don’t understand them. But the view of the rooftops, that really exists: from the rehearsal stage out to the sky over Neukölln.