MY STUDENT TRAINEESHIP IN BERLIN: Nina Račeta

Nina Račeta
University of Arts in Belgrade, Faculty of Dramatic Arts

Erasmus+ Mobility for Traineeship at:

Rimini Protokoll, Berlin

Through an Erasmus+ traineeship programme, I was an assistant director intern to the theatre troupe Rimini Protokoll on the making of their new play House of Hopes, which will premiere this October at the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in Berlin.

The stay in Berlin during May and June was intense, crazy, fulfilling, sometimes even overwhelming, but overall very inspiring and eye-opening. I felt well accepted in the team and formed great friendships with four other interns my age, from different countries (Denmark, Taiwan, Germany) and different artistic backgrounds. My whole experience in the rehearsals, along with exploring the city, was filled with diversity.

I enjoyed the rehearsal process, where I learned about working in documentary theatre, forming a story from and with real-life people, and creating site-specific performances, which are very rare to see in Serbia. The collaborative way of working, starting with having two directors but involving all other members of the team, including me, was very refreshing. Also, the openness to trying things out, experimenting, and believing in the process itself, without the directors having all the solutions and concepts ready, was great to see in practice.

But besides all this, I think the biggest impact came from the people I met on the production and their stories. Since the play focuses on how the political changes of 1989 affected people around the world, I got to closely connect with and learn about the histories of people from Afghanistan, Chile, China, Poland, Namibia, Hungary, and South Korea and more. The possibility of creating a piece together in such an international environment, working on topics of politics, freedom, protest, and repression, was extremely impactful. Even though we were from around twenty different countries, it felt like seeing the whole world up close. It was also fascinating to work on such a large-scale production, involving over thirty crew members who create a show which will play simultaneously throughout the entire theatre building for an audience of 600.

Also, it was great that during the same period my friend and colleague Lena Baljak was doing an internship at the Volksbühne, so through this experience we became even closer friends. We wanted to get the most out of Berlin and explore the cultural scene, so almost every night we went to a different event, mostly theatre. That gave me a wider perspective of what theatre can be and what my preferences are, as well as new inspiration to work. But during the exchange, I also learned that Berlin’s cultural scene is so huge and diverse that it is impossible to see it all.

Getting to see the work of a theatre like the Volksbühne through performances, but also up close (getting to know the people, structure, history, and backstage), was educational and engaging. Even outside of the production, I formed new friendships and had many old friends coming over to Berlin.

I highly valued Daniel Wetzel’s encouraging mentorship. By integrating my contributions into the process and genuinely appreciating my feedback, I saw firsthand how a director establishes an inclusive, safe, and open environment.

Also, after the internship, Rimini Protokoll offered me a contract to work on rehearsals in September until the premiere, for which I am very excited and grateful.