Gob Squad whirl through the anarchic chaos of existence with delicate melancholia in their works and have thus danced their ways into the hearts of the international public. They recently received the Silver Lion at the Biennale Teatro in Venice. Vienna still recalls the German-British performance collective’s production Kitchen, during which the performers are gradually replaced by the audience. Doppelgänger/Doppelganger picks up from this legendary work. It focuses on the reconstruction of a familiar scene – a family birthday party, inspired by recordings and memories from the Gob Squad members’ youth. But who is playing which role? And who decides what happens next? It is soon apparent that there are more people in charge of what is happening than initially thought. The birthday party soon takes a turn and becomes a surreal vision with unexpected twists as different identities and voices battle implacably to be heard.
Concept Gob Squad Devised and performed by Johanna Freiburg, Sean Patten, Tatiana Saphir, Sharon Smith, Berit Stumpf, Sarah Thom, Bastian Trost, Simon Will Sound design Sebastian Bark, Julio Zúñiga Video design Miles Chalcraft Set and costume design Nina von Mechow, Amir Baltić Light design and technical management Chris Umney Dramaturgy and production management Christina Runge Artistic collaboration Katharina Joy Book, Ben Goldby, Simon Kernen Assistance set and costume design Tina Hübner Company management Heleen De Boever, Caroline Gentz, Talea Schuré, Grischa Schwiegk
Production Gob Squad Coproduction Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) I Free Republic of Vienna, HAU Hebbel am Ufer Berlin, &Espoo Theatre
Funded by the Capital Cultural Fund (Germany)
Gob Squad Arts Collective are funded institutionally by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.
World premiere June 2026, Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) | Free Republic Vienna
