Jira: Theater and Games: Welcome to Mytopia

The great benefactor called – and they came. “Mytopes”, the inhabitants of Mytopia. Mytopia: This is Jira – in the year 2121.

The play is based on the novel “We” by Yevgeny Zamyatin. The Earth has become uninhabitable. There is no life except under a huge glass dome that happens to be located above Jira. This is led by the “Great Philanthropist.” Anyone who violates it will have his soul removed. Children are taken care of by parenting androids. Of course there are objections to this. The public can help decide: How far should this go?

You can register with the application. For every good deed – in the spirit of philanthropist – you get points. This makes you a more valuable person. Today’s campaign also achieved good results.

Almost everyone here has downloaded the Mytopia app, with registration and personal evaluation. This sounds a lot like total control. Sure, says Max, who his friends refer to as “Mytop.” He’s been there from the beginning. He is interested in participating in the development of the piece. “Of course you can make comparisons, not only with the surveillance state in the GDR, but also with the surveillance states currently active. But it is very nice to always see people saying: No, not like that. This is exciting and powerful courage.”

Today in the church the Mytopians are supposed to find the rebel hideout. There are little clues everywhere. The team must find the defectors. It’s theater mixed with a guessing game. But at the same time Mytopia shows a depressing future.

But it is a revolution in which people also rebel against injustice. This is why St Mary’s Church is a good setting for the play. Sophie Oldenthal is Head of Drama at Altenburg Gera Theater and helped develop Mytopia. I presented the idea to the church community and it found open ears; Especially on Reformation Day: “Because the piece is about social responsibility and how we really want to live together. And there was a very big overlap in terms of content.”

More and more clues solve the mystery – torn pictures, numbers and pictures. And indeed: he found one of the rebels. Viewers also decide what happens next for him and Mytopia via the app. But even without a mobile phone during the shows, the audience can choose a side, have a say in the progress of the event and collect points.

Mia is an avid theatergoer. On the app, she got a little closer to the “great donor” because of her good behavior. But Mia has a plan: “I’m slowly leaning toward resistance. It’s good to be in the inner circle.” Mytopia is a participatory lesson about courage and democracy. Without index finger. Everyone lives according to his conscience.

There will be a sequel to the film at Gera Theater on January 21. “Darkness under the hilltop.” Get citizenship! There are still a few tickets left.