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2024 High drama and hilarious comedy at the same time - it's pure Shakespeare again with The Winter's Tale 2.0. Looking forward to seeing the audience's reaction to our solution for Antigonus' death by bear!

2023 Her Majesty's Will by Robert Kauzlaric was a smashing hit! Fencing, a carriage and a bomb to be found in time made this fast-paced comedy a spectacle to behold. Even when we smashed a table to bits.

2023 We are going on a journey back in time with an Elizabethan set. Rehearsals are much fun with everybody joining in to make the scenes even funnier.

July 2022 Despite having to wear masks and suffering from heat, our audience greatly loved the show. For the first time, we played on the auditorium floor and the guests sat on the main stage.

Save the date - June 28th, 29th and 30th 2022! See you in Leo's Paradise Lounge, where Much Ado About Nothing is set and drama ensues.

Spring 2022 Rehearsals continue with FFP 2 masks but with the same fervour as before. We are hoping to perform our funny version of Much Ado About Nothing 2.0 in May or June this year.

Autumn 2021 The doubly jabbed continue - we are currently working on a short and modernized version of Much Ado About Nothing.

2020 Lucky after all - after performing in Frankfurt/Oder's Kleistforum we were able to show our Best of the Bard - a Shakespeare Gala in Berlin as well. Then in lockdown due to the pandemic, but rehearsals in the park for next year's play - no surrender!

2019 Great ovations for Cymbeline, especially for the Eaglettes and their god Jupiter, a Deus ex Machina.

January 2018 Working hard on Macbeth! We have been invited to perform our play on June 8th in the Collegium Polonicum in Slubice (Poland). The college, where Frau Baasner gave an all-day advanced training course on Teaching Shakespeare, is part of the Europa-Universität Viadrina (Frankfurt/Oder).

August 2017 Not an easy task, but we took the challenge: The Merchant of Venice showed the contrast between rich Portia's bright Belmont and the darker issues dealt with in the calculating merchants' Venice. Shylock lost so much more than the pound of flesh he was entitled to.

At the same time both Baasners wrote the annotations and teaching materials for a school edition of the Merchant (Cornelsen-Verlag).

August 2016 The audience liked All's Well That Ends Well particularly because of the movement choreography and use of text messages and emoticons on stage (projections)!

September 2015 Frau Baasner has been chosen by publishing house Cornelsen to give didactic advice and perform as a juror in the nationwirde school competition ShakePics: Shakespeare ist, was ihr draus filmt.

The winning entry: Hamletti, the ending told in a mafia setting. A second round took place the following year with the winning entry of The Tempest.

July 2015 Great praise for Measure for Measure, which was a typical Shakespearian mixture of serious and moving as well as amusing scenes.

March 2015 Our ensemble was asked to perform in a TV programme for Pro7's science magazine Galileo called Der Rechthaber: Schule, where rules and regulations for pupils and teachers were discussed.

Watch the clip here:

http://www.prosieben.de/tv/galileo/videos/201563-rechte-und-verbote-in-der-schule-clip

October 2014 New York designer Mirko Ilic asked us for our theatre posters to be published in a book called Presenting Shakespeare: 1100 theatre posters from around the world. It was created for the 400st anniversary of Shakespeare's death in 2016.

More here

June 2014 Short-term replacements helped us get the boar on the stage and send the bad boy to his well-deserved grave. Much applause for misshapen Richard and his co-players!

Watch the final fight here

May 2014 Preparations for Richard III are in their final stages with swords being made, flags being sewn and villains being extra mean.

10-13-6-2013  Romeo and Juliet hit the streets of Verona, no, FEO school in Blissestrasse actually. Extra full houses this time, maybe due to the play? Or was it our Mercutio, dancer sublime?

Watch a clip here

22-10-2012 More awards for The TO BE Experience!

We were given eTwinning's European quality label as well! Yeah!

28-09-2012 Award-winning work

We have won a quality label from Europe's eTwinning platform, an organisation which supports projects done by several schools. Our Hamlet production was part of The TO BE Experience about which you can read more on our project page (in German).

 

14-06-2012 Standing ovations for the HAMLET premiere

We are very proud and happy indeed!

04-04-2012 Launch of the new website

It will still take a while until everything has moved to the new site (what are Easter holidays for, after all?), but our lovingly designed old homepage does not adjust to the requirements of Web 2.0 because the old formats cannot be updated any more.

Thanks again to Marian Heidbreder, Jonas Linn and Simon Voigts (who made a content management programme for us) for the design and creation of the old page and particularly for Christopher Linn who hosted our site all these years.

02-10-2011 Hamlet
Denmark's troubled prince will be the subject of our new play in 2012 - HAMLET. We are busy developing characters and working on the exciting duel at the end of the play with the help of Markus Laubach, choreographer and fencing coach in Berlin.
En garde

30-01-2011 Our very own Youtube channel
Here we go: the first video clip of more to follow (from each play since 2001) has been uploaded to Youtube. Watch and subscribe:
www.youtube.com/shakeplayers

28-12-2010 No end in sight for the SHREW
Berlin's delegate for European matters, Frau Helbig, mentions our project in her video message (1:40-1:55) and we were asked to supply two photos.
She saw the performance live in Berlin as well.

29-06-2010 Result!
After ten years of failed attempts, this year's ensemble of Love's Labour's Lost has finally managed to empty the huge sausage and bacon dish!

31-05-2010 10 years - the Shakespeare Players anniversary
Come and watch this year's Love's Labour's Lost which marks the tenth year of our existence. The preparations are under way, the sewing machine never rests, superb props have been built and the stage set is being done - we are extremely busy and highly motivated.
Don't miss the first night on June 15th!

08-01-2010 More international news - UK German Connection puts us online
Our sponsor, UKGerman Connection, has published a report on the SHREW exchange online: Showcase

20-07-2009 Shrew taming
We did it! The second round of our exchange with Merthyr Tydfil College has been concluded - the Welsh group showed us their interpretation of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW in Berlin and we went to perform ours in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.
Not only that, but the BBC reported on our joint venture on their Worldclass
site.
Very proud of our success and content with our achievement we are planning the project for next year - we will devise a sequel for Love's Labour's Lost.
Once a play existed named 'Love's Labour's Won', but it got lost and we want to imagine a new short version in modern English which we plan to perform after a project week in spring 2010.
Of course The Shakespeare Players will play Love's Labour's Lost (as usual, in June and in the original version) for which the preparations have already begun...

06-02-2009 New social forum for the Tamers
For a better exchange between all participants in Berlin and Wales a social forum has been started: http://taming-bm.ning.com
The motto is: Two casts, two countries, one play.
We are looking very much forward to this international exchange and the trip to Wales in July!

05-02-2009 Berlin Mayor's Office published a report on our activities
Well, who says that we don't attract any attention?
Due to our etwinning bond, I was asked to write a report on our activities last year and submit some photos and links to our school web pages.
The Mayor wants to inform the public of successful European activities and we qualified - I should invite him to our shows, what do you think?

09-10-2008 Let's be shrewish
After our production of Comedy of Errors we now turn to a merry war of words between Petruchio and Katherine, protagonists of The Taming of the Shrew. We sincerely hope to have our Welsh partners over who will show us their rendition of the Shrew, which all depends on finding MONEY. Sponsors, unite and please give! If all goes well, we will return the visit and perform our own show in Wales, set in the 1950s with Elvis quiffs, white gloves for ladies and the cool music of the era.

03-05-2008 Croeso y Cymru
In March we went to visit our partner school in Wales, Merthyr Tydfil College, did workshops and saw Shakespeare productions like Hamlet (super!!) and the Dream. We now plan an international cooperation and want to stage The Taming of the Shrew in Berlin and Wales in 2008/2009!

25-11-2007 The Players are news!
Dr Alan Taylor, guest lecturer in Film Studies from Oxford at the Freie Universität Berlin, has written three articles on this year's production of The Comedy of Errors for the online newspaper WELTEXPRESS. Dr Taylor will observe our rehearsal process and progress at all stages.

04-11-2007 Success for former Shakespeare Players
The composer of our Tempest musical, Rafael Rodriguez, has been offered the post of a musical assistant in one of Berlin's variety shows after the conductor Christoph Hagel has spotted his talent during one of our performances. The show is called FURIOSO and runs at the Wintergarten.
Fortune has smiled even broader at Jan Pohl, whose Bottom in The Midsummer Night's Dream remains unforgotten - he is in a Hollywood movie directed by Spike Lee (MALCOLM X) and filmed in the Toscana at present. Jan plays a German deserter in World War II. The script is based on James McBride's novel MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA. Congratulations!

05-10-2007 Comedy of Errors
Rehearsals for the new play have started, in which two sets of identical twins who do not know each other cause a lot of confusion. Apart from that, there will be a troupe of travelling actors with a puppet theatre including musicians, pantomime artists and a fortune teller among others who add to the mayhem as well.

10-05-1007 Bochum and after
We have been really successful with our performance in Bochum on April 21st 2007! Please have a look at the 'reviews' section of the Tempest page and find a newspaper article of the WAZ and a letter from the Shakespeare Gesellschaft.
Especially university people seem to have spread the news, as I have had a lot of ticket reservations from professors and lecturers who refer to the 'brilliant show'. The Centre for British Studies in Berlin has even ordered more posters and flyers which they want to hand out during Berlin's 'Long Sciences Night'!

17-02-2007 Guest performance in Bochum 21.4.2007
We have been invited to perform this year's production of our musical The Tempest at the spring convention of the Deutsche Shakespeare-Gesellschaft in Bochum! The motto is 'Audio Shakespeare', which is a perfect fit as we have turned the play into a musical with all songs composed by Rafael Rodriguez and arranged by Robert Mau. Laura Winkler wrote the lyrics and also dances in our troupe of 11 dancers (choreography by Martina Scheu). Apart from the players, singers and dancers we are supported by a choir and the school orchestra, conducted by Mrs Voigt. In Bochum, not just the participants of the convention are invited, but also the city's pupils and students. We are very proud of being asked to come with this year's enormous ensemble of 60+ and will do our very best to shine!!

27-10-2006 Guess who made it to the homepage of the Senate?
More good news! The Senator für Bildung, Jugend und Sport discovered us and now has a photo (Merry Wives) and a link to our Players' page on their homepage, in the theatre department. Is this cool or is this cool?
Berlin.de

03-09-2006 The Players go international
It has happened! Peter Lathan from the 'British Theatre Guide', one of the best British theatre sites with reviews for all plays staged in Britain, has looked at our site and decided to put our link on his 'Amateur theatre' pages!! And we are not even British! Hooray!!
British Theatre Guide - Amateur Groups

24-04-2006 And here is what the Shakespeare-Gesellschaft said about us..
Liebe Frau Baasner, liebe Schülerinnen und Schüler,
ganz herzlichen Dank noch einmal seitens des Vorstandes der Deutschen Shakespeare-Gesellschaft und des Präsidenten, Prof. Dr. Andreas Höfele, für Ihre/eure konstruktive und erfrischende Teilnahme an der Tagung in Weimar. Es ist phantastisch, wie weit die Theaterprojekte an der Schule gediehen sind und mit welchem Enthusiasmus und mittlerweile auch gewachsenen Professionalität Sie alle und natürlich die Initiatorin des Ganzen, Frau Baasner, an Shakespeare herangehen. Wir hoffen, weiter mit Ihnen und euch in Kontakt zu bleiben, denn ".... the play's the thing....".
Alles Gute, Ihr Roland Petersohn
(Vizepräsident)

19-02-2006 The Players Go Weimar
This is a thrilling start to 2006! The players have been invited to present their work at the Spring Convention of the Shakespeare Gesellschaft in Weimar. On April 22nd (next day is Shakespeare's birthday) 2006 from 9.00 to 11.00 I will introduce our work, show clips from dvds and hopefully have some players with me to play a little scene or sing a song. Let's gooo!

01-08-2005 AS YOU LIKE IT photos
Here they are, the photos of this year's production! Our little birch grove and the sheep showed a sharp contrast with the cold and evil world of Duke Frederick's court, who usurped his brother's throne. This year our musicians composed all songs and many good performances were given in song and play.
Enjoy the photos!

21-02-2005 Weimar, here we come!
The German Shakespeare-Gesellschaft in Weimar has published an online article on the Players. Reviews and a videoclip are to follow soon, but you can have a look already at: Feature 2005

27-09-2004 The movie!
On Thursday September 30th 2004 we present the film version of our play The Merry Wives of Windsor in our Aula at 19.00.
Come in droves and bring friends and family! There is no entrance fee!

16-07-2004 Merry Wives photos
You can now click to see the photos of our Rock 'n' Roll version of The Merry Wives of Windsor on the Projects page. We are amazed to find that Falstaff with his padded belly did fit into a photo after all!

29-04-2004 Guest performance on the stage of the Shakespeare Company Berlin
The Players are invited to perform on the stage of the Berlin Shakespeare Company! As long as the Globe is being built on the Spreeufer close to the East Side Gallery, the ensemble plays in a circus tent. Take a look at our hosts' web site and come to see us stage our play on Sunday June 2oth at 15.00. This is going to be really exciting for us all and we are looking forward to a big audience!

05-01-2004 First Night of Merry Wives
This year's production of The Merry Wives of Windsor will take place on June 15th, 16th and 17th in the Aula of Friedrich-Ebert-Oberschule. It is going to be a lively evening with lots of infectious music!

27-09-2003 Congratulations!
Rahul Chakraborty, our Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing, has been accepted at Vienna's famous Max Reinhardt School for Actors! We are mightily proud of him but not surprised as they would have been mad not to take him!!

30-08-2003 Much Ado About Nothing - the Movie!
Come and see the film version of this year's production of Much Ado About Nothing on Tuesday September 2nd at 19.30 in the Aula of our Friedrich-Ebert-Oberschule. No entrance fee!

03-05-2003 You can buy videos now
We can offer our professionally filmed and cut videos of the performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream (2001) and Twelfth Night (2002) now for 7 Euros each; if you buy both, you'll get them for 13 Euros.
See close ups of the players and enjoy a performance you couldn't have seen from any seat in the audience. If you missed the shows, this is your chance!

04-04-2003 Street performances
We are happy to announce that we will perform open air twice this year, first with scenes from Twelfth Night which will be played at the Prager Platz for the Fest der Nationen on May 9th , 18.30, and at the Kudamm on Breitscheidplatz next to the Gedächtniskirche on May 23rd, 14.30, when the Marktplatz der Demokratie  is held and second, we will show Much Ado About Nothing at the Gustav-Böss-Freilichtbühne in the Jungfernheide, Heckerdamm, on July 1st 2003, after our shows at Friedrich-Ebert-Oberschule.

07-01-2003 Full day rehearsals
Full day rehearsals will be held in the Aula on January 30th and 31th 2003 from 8.30 to 14.30. You must learn your lines until act III, scene 1. The Watchmen learn their scenes even if they appear later in the play.
Be good!

20-08-2002 Movie premiere
Come to see the movie premiere of our performance of Twelfth Night which was filmed during the performance on June 27th in the Aula of our school. A super film has been made and cut that you can see on August 22nd 2002 at the Landesbildstelle/LISUM in Moabit at 19.00, Wikinger Ufer 7, Bus 101, 341.
Free entry! Close up shots and three camera angles!! Not to be missed!

30-06-2002 Congratulations!
Two former Shakespeare Players have been extremely successful - both Lea Heck (Snug) and Jan Pohl (Bottom) from our Midsummer Night's Dream production have managed to win places at prestigious academies against several hundred competitors! Lea will start studying design at Dessau's Bauhaus Academy for Design and Jan will study acting at the Max Reinhardt Actors' Academy in Vienna. Speaking with Antonio from Twelfth Night we say:
"The gentleness of all the gods go with thee!"

16-06-2002 Tickets
The tickets for the first night (June 26th) are sold out.
Please reserve or buy tickets for June 27th and 28th only.

13-06-2002 Set Construction almost finished!
After weeks of hard work mainly done by Nora Voß and Konrad Arndt who built the wooden frames, the completion of the set is close!
There is some painting to be done and a tree to erect, but soon all will be fine. The billboard outside the Aula is blinking and the banner will be hung soon.

23-02-2002 Dates
On Saturday March 2nd  (Open Day at FEO) the Shakespeare Players rehearse from 11.30 to 16.00 in the Aula and prepare mentally for set construction work.
The full day rehearsals in May will very likely be postponed from May 6-8 to May 13-15, because too many players are away on school trips.
The only date available for an open air performance at the Hexenkessel Hoftheater is Monday July 1st.

23-02-2002 We launched our web site!
Today we have launched our web site that fans have been desperately waiting for.
Enjoy it and let us know what you think of it.