‘HaNeu 23’ examines the utopian potential of the large East German housing estate Halle-Neustadt. As a socialist modernist project, ‘Ha-Neu’ was labelled a ‘social hotspot’ after 1989/90. The neighbourhood was characterised by demolition and people moving away. A new beginning emerged in 2022 with the relocation of Halle's city administration to Neustadt. ‘HaNeu 23’ takes this as an opportunity to revisit history with theatrical means. The audio performance explores the opportunities for new development and illuminates the utopian founding potential of Neustadt.
The public space and the coexistence of old and new architecture become a stage. An installative arrangement by stage and costume designer Johannes Weilandt invites the audience to linger in the open air between Neustadt Centrum and Neustädter Passagen. They can listen to the history of the city via radio headphones: interviews, facts and historical recordings meet specially composed music by Chiara Strickland and texts by Karoline Stegemann.