Press action medeor

122 theater performances with over 6,000 young and old visitors - that is the balance sheet of the Wolkenstein Theater, which toured flood-affected daycare centers and elementary school in western Germany for two years after the 2021 flood disaster. Shortly after the flood, the ensemble, which specializes in children's theater, adapted its plays dramaturgically and conceptually to the special challenges faced by children in the flood areas and offered theater performances followed by educational workshops. A total of 86 daycare centers and three elementary school in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate took advantage of this offer, and the dates for the free performances were sold out within days. The theater series for flood kindergartens was made possible by the aid organization action medeor, which financed the performances with donations collected by WDR and Aktion Deutschland Hilft, among others.

The last performance in the theater series for flood daycare centers took place these days. At the Odenthaler Kobolde daycare center in Odenthal, the Wolkenstein Theater performed the play “Pustekuchen”, which is about discovering, listening and sensing. "Our plays are full of hilarity and relaxation in the literal sense of the word. They are intended to help children process their experiences with the flood in a playful way,” Andrea Lucas from the Wolkenstein Theater says. "All our performances are therefore about trust, hope and security. And dealing with fear, uncertainty and loss is addressed just as carefully."

These are important topics for the children in the flood-affected areas, as the flood and the many simultaneous changes in their familiar surroundings were emotionally formative experiences for them. “Many daycare centers were or are still housed in temporary containers, many parents are still struggling to rebuild their homes, and the children are experiencing this too,” Alexandra Geiser from action medeor explains.

The performances of the Wolkenstein Theater counter this with playfulness, creativity, imagination and humor. Andrea Lucas and Thomas Marey form the core of the ensemble. When they perform, the room quickly transforms into a meadow, a book or a winter landscape. Attentive children's eyes gaze, for example, at a column of water from which bubbles rise, and loud laughter can be heard when a large bubble bursts. “This is a completely normal scene in our plays,” Andrea Lucas says. "And yet, since the flood, it is no longer normal for every child to handle water in such a carefree way. We want to provide an opportunity for cautious, sensual encounters with water and rain so that the children can once again experience this as a positive, life-giving force,” Lucas explains, who is not only an actress but also a trained theater educator.

The performance in Odenthal marks the end of the special theater series for flood-affected daycare centers after 122 performances. Andrea Lucas and Thomas Mary have been on the road in almost all flood-affected areas, from the Euskirchen district to the Aachen district, the Ahr valley, the Swistal-Heimerzheim region and flood-affected cities such as Hagen, Trier, Leverkusen, Solingen and Rösrath. More than 6,200 kilometers were covered on the trips through the flood areas in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.

The theater series for flood kindergartens was sponsored by the aid organization action medeor, which has been involved in flood relief since day one of the floods. “We were happy to support the Wolkenstein Theater's commitment because we are aware of the importance of mental health, especially for children, and the stabilizing effect that a careful and child-friendly approach to the flood experience can have”, Alexandra Geiser from action medeor explains. However, the fact that action medeor's support has now ended three years after the flood disaster is no reason for the Wolkenstein Theater to be sad. “Without the help of action medeor, we would not have been able to offer our program to the daycare centers”, Andrea Lucas and Thomas Marey agree, “and it was a blessing that we were able to reach so many children with this help.”

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