This is binge-watching meets theater, live and up close. Much like a camera weaves through an elaborate film set, Nestervals Eldorado guides the audience through a multitude of scenes, introducing us to a whole range of characters and their stories along the way. Presented by the ground-breaking queer theater group Nesterval, this intricate production is a masterful display of storytelling.

Nesterval is know for its immersive theatrical productions, which often take over entire buildings and last for several hours, transforming theater into a true experience. In the troupe’s hometown of Vienna, performances sell out in a matter of minutes, and now, for the first time, they are coming to Berlin to debut Nestervals Eldorado, a site-specific work developed for Sophiensæle. Set primarily in Berlin’s Scheunenviertel, the neighborhood around the Sophiensæle bulding complex, the piece centers around Berlin’s queer history before and during Nazi rule. Inspired by biographies of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans people who were systematically persecuted and murdered at the hands of the Nazi regime, this production artfully weaves fiction and reality into a poignat story that allows the audience to fully inhabit the characters’ thoughts and experiences.

Nesterval is a diverse ensemble made up of actors, immersive performers, and other stage artists, including drag queens and kings. In their works, various performance styles share the stage as equals. The result is a queer people’s theater that shines a spotlight from the past onto our present day. In this production, the audience, divided into small groups, experiences the plot in fragments,  never as a whole. As a result, comparing notes afterwards becomes part of the experience, with audience members eager to discuss what they’ve just seen. This creates unique opportunities for engagement and reflection that linger long after the show is over.