On Monday 20 January 2025, the eagerly awaited performance of the theatre project ‘Iphigenia in Tauris’ took place, in which all 2nd semester German basic courses were involved.

Each course took on an act and creatively designed the sound, background images and props, as well as providing their own actors: Iphigenia has probably never changed shape so often! A fitting reflection of the many inner and outer turbulences that the character experiences.

The courses had to deal with many questions in advance: Where are the big moments in our scenes? Which lighting mood and which images do we use to create the right atmosphere? How do we musically emphasise the gloomy and hopeful moments?

Everything came together on the day of the performance. The creative realisation of the sound ideas, often with live music, intensified the emotional highlights, such as the redemptive recognition of the siblings Iphigenia and Orest. Carefully selected photos and creative props created ancient references and transported us for a moment from the grey Berlin weather to the Greek sea.

It was exciting to see how a successful event was created with little time, but a lot of improvisation talent and close cooperation - both backstage and in front of the stage. Above all, the dedication and joy of everyone involved made this performance an experience that gave us a special approach to the classical piece.

The subsequent exhibition organised by the advanced German course was a wonderful finale:

‘Iphigenia in the temple, life is hard,
A strange land, strange people, she holds her guard.
She is supposed to make sacrifices, but she doesn't join in,
Her heart beats for freedom, she stays legit.’

Does this beginning of a rap fit the overall storyline in the style of Sosa La M generated by ChatGPT? What does a prompt have to look like for the result to be convincing? The German course certainly asked these and similar questions and contributed a small exhibition to the theatre project. Generated poems, comics and raps were shown and assessed.