Sensational

When we can’t believe our eyes, what separates reality from our perception of it? In this issue, we look at some outstanding productions and projects featuring sensational visual effects. One is the Luther Panorama exhibition in Wittenberg, marking the 500th anniversary of the start of the Reformation. An old-established format, the panorama still has the capacity to fascinate, especially when it makes use of modern technologies.

Taking in the astounding detail of the panorama in Wittenberg, the viewer virtually experiences firsthand the end of the Middle Ages and the dawn of the new era. The spirit of that turbulent time is really brought to life, 500 hundred years after Martin Luther famously nailed his theses to the cathedral door. Plenty of sensational surprises are also offered by THE ONE Grand Show in Berlin’s Fried richstadt Palast. With ingenious sets, bursting stage wagons and artful lighting design, it creates a fantastic dream-world, travelling between yesterday and tomorrow.

Theatres are continuing to try out new ways of combining the modern media world with traditional stage drama. This month we profile the production “Borderline Prozession” in ...