By Johan Heldenbergh and Mieke Dobbels
Stage play
German translation by Alexandra Schmiedebach
The Broken Circle is a theatre piece directed by Sara Ostertag, for which I was invited to join the creative team as choreographer. The piece tells the deeply emotional story of Elise and Didier — two people who fall in love, build a life together, and are later confronted with the devastating illness of their daughter, Maybelle. As they face the trauma of her diagnosis and eventual loss, the couple must navigate the depths of grief and the fragility of love.
Based on the 2012 film by Felix van Groeningen, The Broken Circle Breakdown, the story received widespread recognition, including the Berlinale Audience Award, the European Film Award, and an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 2014. In this theatrical version, Sara Ostertag brings her signature poetic and visually rich approach to storytelling, creating a sensorial experience in which choreography plays a vital role in expressing the unspoken layers of emotion.
Through choreography, I sought to embody the unspeakable moments of loss and connection, enhancing the physical storytelling that runs parallel to the music and text. This piece offered a moving exploration of love, grief, and the fragile threads that bind us.
Photos by © Petra Moser
Direction: Sara Ostertag
Set Design: Nanna Neudeck
Costume Design: Prisca Baumann
Music: Mira Lu Kovacs
Choreography: Andressa Miyazato
Dramaturgy: Wiebke Melle
Cast
Elise – Gunda Schanderer
Didier – Markus Ransmayr
Maybelle – Cecilia Pérez / Vivian Micksch
Live Music by Mira Lu Kovacs
Video by Jonatan Salgado Romero
Andressa Miyazato 