Tour Chronicles: Bremen La Strada, 13-14 June 2015

08 Jul Tour Chronicles: Bremen La Strada, 13-14 June 2015

A few weeks ago the ladies set out on the long journey to La Strada Festival in Bremen.

I hadn’t heard of the festival before but as it turns out La Strada is the biggest street performance festival in Germany, setting a stage for innovative street theatre and cirque nouveau. It’s been running for 21 years and is absolutely free. Another feature of La Strada is that artists are encouraged to busk, and audiences are encouraged to “tip” (as referred to on the website).

Our Bench ladies witnessed the practice first hand, with a fully prepared audience – some carrying bags full of coins, and others packs of notes, ready to inserted in busking buckets.

The spirit of community doesn’t stop at artist tipping. According to the webpage, the festival is only possible thanks to the great commitment by the inhabitants of Bremen. Every year up to 80 honorary people,  or the “angels”, assist and support the festival team on and backstage!

This setup surely gives the city a special feel.

After the tour I asked Martha, Silvia, and Alcina what they thought of the festival and they were unanimous in their answer: BRILLIANT

“The angel volunteers were indeed angels, as they helped our cast clear the stage, helped with costumes, and really just offered to help when ever needed!”  Martha

And to drive the point further here is some more of Martha’s feedback:

• The audiences were amazing, they were very vocal in their enjoyment of the piece.
• It was an ENTIRELY VEGETARIAN FESTIVAL!!!!
• The food was the best in all my festival experiences!
• The technician was brilliant.
• The festival was hosting excellent shows which we got to watch and then meet the great performers.
• Went to a really trendy area and did some good shopping!

“All in all I loved Bremen and the festival. We had a great time!”