This event is wheelchair accessible.
This event has induction loop.
English with German subtitles
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A group of young people is roaming the streets of Johannesburg tonight. We are connected by 9,000 kilometers as the crow flies, 12 seconds of internet transmission, glitches, freezes, and disconnections between our lives: Our protagonists were born in the early 2000s and grew up in a world full of economic crises, reignited wars, and tensions fueled by propaganda. They live in a multicultural but unjust world. They are curious, sad, angry, ironic, and vulnerable—yet they do not hide their vulnerability. They turn it into their weapon.
Kids is both theater and a live-action film. The project is a follow-up to the cult classic Dämonen, which Nikitin produced in 2022 together with Sebastian Nübling at Theater Basel.
Once again, a camera transmits the action live onto a large screen in the theater. Nikitin’s new work, a collaboration with Johannesburg-based journalist Tšeliso Monaheng, takes it a step further: the audience and performers are no longer all in the same city, but they are all on the same planet. The world premiere takes place simultaneously in Basel, Johannesburg, and at the FIT Festival in Lugano.
Right in front of the audience’s eyes, a captivating portrait of a young generation takes shape: a vibrant urban odyssey in the spirit of post-documentary theater, the Nouvelle Vague, and new South African cinema.
Duration: ca. 140 minutes
Aftertalk after the performance at 3.10.
Additional performances at the Kaserne Basel for spring 2027 are planned; dates to be announced.
Credits
Concept, Text, and Direction: Boris Nikitin
Director of Photography and Conceptual Collaboration: Tšeliso Monaheng
Director of Photography: Bantu Mahlangu
Cast: Chioma Mphelo, Chrisophocus Seboka, Kenzo Hendrix, Nidaa Husain, Thabang Chauke
Sound: Matthias Meppelink
Video: Robin Elias Nidecker
Dramaturgy: Annett Hardegen
Outside Eye: Neo Muyanga, Sebastian Nübling
Costumes: Nthabiseng Makone
Costume Assistant: Molebogeng Phiri
Assistant Directors: Mongezi Ntukwana, Ngwedi Ramphele
Production Manager, Johannesburg: Thantaswa Mthembu
Production Manager (Switzerland/Germany): Alexa Tepen
Subtitles: Kim Egi
Technical Director (Johannesburg): Michael Inglis
Technical Director (Switzerland/Germany): Sebastian Sommer
Technical Production Manager: Wesley France
Sound Engineer: Lloyd Niemandt
Sound Assistant: Luke Prinsloo
Streaming Technician: Xolani Michael Mahlalela
A collaboration with the Center for the Less Good Idea and the Market Theater Laboratory.
A co-production with: Kaserne Basel, HAU Hebbel am Ufer Berlin, Festival Spielart Munich, FIT Lugano
With the support of Gessnerallee Zurich.
Funded by: Theater/Dance Committee of Basel-Stadt and Baselland, Pro Helvetia, Ernst Göhner Foundation, Landis & Gyr Stiftung, Goethe Institut / Internationaler Koproduktionsfonds
Biografie
Boris Nikitin - Direction, Concept, Text
Born in Basel in 1979, he is a director and playwright. His artistic focus lies in exploring documentary forms and propaganda. Questions regarding the construction of reality and identities are a recurring theme in all of his theatrical works. Building on this, Nikitin has been intensively exploring the relationship between art, illness, and vulnerability since 2015. This theme plays a central role in internationally touring productions such as Hamlet (2016–2023), Essay on Dying (2019–present), Magda Toffler (2022–present), and in his museum project The Last Reality Show (Museum Tinguely, 2023/2024).
Since 2022, Nikitin has been experimenting with the form of live cinema (Dämonen, Dämonen Berlin, Mixtape, Kids). Nikitin was awarded the J.M.R. Lenz – Dramatikerpreis by the City of Jena for his body of work. In 2020, he received the Swiss Theater Prize. Nikitin’s works have been invited to the “Impulse” festival five times, most recently in 2023. Nikitin is the founder and artistic director of the festival It’s The Real Thing – Basler Dokumentartage.
Tšeliso Monaheng - Director of Photography
is a filmmaker, director of photography, and multidisciplinary creative artist. Monaheng is part of a new generation of Southern African storytellers who transcend traditional genre boundaries between journalism, photography, music, film, and cultural criticism. Monaheng’s cinematography is characterized by an often raw and direct eye that focuses primarily on human faces, as well as cultural and urban landscapes. A recurring central theme in his work is the South African music scene, which he documents and portrays with his camera, as seen, for example, in the short film Indaba is all the people.
In addition to his work as a DoP, Tšeliso Monaheng regularly works as an author and cultural journalist. He writes for local and international media, including Rolling Stone South Africa, The Guardian, The Fader, as well as South African newspapers and online magazines.
Content Notes
At this time, there are no specific content notes that we or the artists wish to share with the audience. If you have any specific questions about content notes, the evening staff will be available on the night of the performance.
