The 2026 Berlinale started with a bang. The unwanted kind. At the inaugural press conference Jury president Wim Wenders answered a reporter’s question regarding the festival’s position on the Gaza conflict in essence with the sentiment: “artists need to keep out of politics“. Well, that went down as expected. Even though the director of the […]
Dance Review: Berliner Festspiele 2026
February 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Throughout the year, the Berliner Festspiele organise festivals and art exhibitions, concerts, dance and theatre performances, readings, lectures and has been a staple in the Berliner culture scene since 1951. They are also responsible for the Performing Arts Season, a showcase for international performances of theatre and dance that focuses on the cultural dialogue between […]
London Culture Now – Bee’s Top Picks for Theatre and Exhibitions 2026
January 29, 2026 by Leave a Comment
A 10-day trip to London over New Year meant our arts writer saw 17 plays and visited just as many exhibitions. With this overflowing cup of culture, I want to show you some things I particularly liked, writes Sabine Koch… There were excellent shows, that have closed recently, like the play Daniel’s Husband at the Marylebone […]
Komische Oper Season 2025/2026 – from Jesus Christ Superstar to Gustav Mahler
November 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Komische Oper Berlin is undergoing a major renovation and modernisation project that includes structural improvements and a new building extension. This project will bring the existing 1882 building up to contemporary standards and add new rehearsal rooms, offices, and a public area. While the main building is under construction, performances are taking place at the […]
Dance Review: Tanz im August 2025
September 9, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Tanz im August 2025, a festival of contemporary dance in Berlin, came to a close after three weeks with 20 productions spread across 10 venues. Like each of the years beforehand, the festival championed international artists, who brought their own cultural sensibilities to the medium of dance. Berlin is a centre of dance in Germany, […]
Film Review: Berlinale 2025 – a 75th Festival Jubilee
March 11, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Berliners, Sabine ‘Bee’ Koch writes, were very much looking forward to this year’s Berlinale 2025. After five years the not-so-dynamic duo of Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian who, in my opinion, never connected with the festival, the city, and foremost its people, have handed over the reins to London Film Festival alumni Tricia Tuttle. While the […]
Review: London Art Galleries and Exhibitions
February 11, 2025 by Leave a Comment
What caught Sabine Koch’s eye in London’s art galleries and museums… Letizia Battaglia: Life, Love and Death in Sicily letizia-battaglia-life-love-and-death-sicily The Photographer’s Gallery is always worth a visit, but this exhibition blew my mind. It shows the work of the late, great photographer Letizia Battaglia, who chronicled the effect the Mafia had on Sicily. […]
Top Shows To See: London Theatre Reviews by Sabine Koch
January 20, 2025 by Leave a Comment
As per usual I tried to squeeze in as much theatre as I could during my stay in London and these are my top choices, writes Sabine Koch… Titanique An incredible experience. The musical is daft in the best way, mapping the story of the hit movie filtered through Celine Dion’s songs and a back […]
Cozy, Arty and Historical London: Where to Eat and Drink?
January 13, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This city always has a lot to offer and sometimes I, as a foreigner, have a different approach and can appreciate things that Londoner’s themselves might take for granted or don’t see anymore. So here I made a list of top 3 things (in no particular order) I enjoyed during my visit to London, writes […]
Dance Review: Staatsballett Berlin
November 18, 2024 by
Berlin is a very lucky city for its vast, colourful and accessible cultural landscape. One pillar of this is the Staatsballett Berlin. New artistic director Christian Spuck started the season 2023/2024 with his work, the fabulous BOVARY, based on Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. With his prima ballerina Weronika Frodyma as his muse and collaborateur […]
