The Art of the Body. How Aurora Nova brings shows to the world from the Hackesche Höfe

Since 1906, the Hackesche Höfe have been a place for art and entertainment. The cinema in the Hackesche Höfe and the Chamäleon Theater are known to everyone in Berlin. However, there are also companies in the courtyards that operate behind the scenes of the show business. One that does so very successfully is the agency Auroranova, run by impresario Wolfgang Hoffmann.

He has a dream job: travelling the world and discovering new shows. That’s why it’s not at all easy to meet him. When we spoke to him, he had just returned from China. For someone who works on stage and in show business, Hoffmann comes across as surprisingly reserved, thoughtful, almost modest.

Perhaps that is precisely the secret of his success. He inspires trust – and gives the impression that this man wouldn’t cheat anyone.

Aurora Nova distributes show productions worldwide. The emphasis is on productions. Other agencies represent artists or companies – regardless of what they put on stage. Hoffmann, on the other hand, focuses on substance. As a so-called ‘boutique agency’, he reserves the right to turn artists down on occasion. This makes the work labour-intensive, as every show is carefully vetted before it enters the portfolio. At the same time, this is precisely what sets the agency apart: venues can rest assured that Aurora Nova productions are well worth seeing. The focus is on physical theatre, contemporary circus, dance and slapstick – on shows that transcend language barriers.

Aurora Nova is inundated with enquiries from artists and companies. An initial screening is carried out via video. However, Hoffmann and his team have always seen the acts they sign in person. International theatre markets and conferences provide the platform for this. Here, companies showcase themselves through live pitches or full-length shows.

Many productions from the portfolio, such as *Gravity and Other Myths*, are familiar from the Chamäleon Theatre. It is no coincidence that both Aurora Nova and the theatre are based in the first courtyard of the Hackesche Höfe. From 2010, Hoffmann worked for a sister company of the Chamäleon, which distributed its own productions. Whilst he was on parental leave, the company went bankrupt. This was because the division he had previously been in charge of was the only one generating revenue. Hoffmann decided to continue with his own, more broadly based company.

The connection to the Chamäleon remained close: every second play performed there is promoted internationally by Hoffmann. At the same time, he continues – as before – to distribute the theatre’s own productions on the international market.

Hoffmann had originally pursued a career as an actor and dancer. During the period of German reunification, he and others occupied a disused brewery in Potsdam and founded the self-managed cultural project ‘Die Fabrik’ there, which provided a stage for young talent. Hoffmann was a producer, a member of the association’s management, and, together with others, took on the artistic direction – whilst also performing on stage himself as a member of a dance theatre company.

With this “Fabrik Company”, Hoffmann took part in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival at the turn of the millennium with great success. Young talents buy their way into this festival with a lot of money. Hoffmann developed an alternative, more collaborative and less competitive format – and used it to stage his own show. The name: Aurora Nova. This “festival within a festival” made him a household name in the scene. He later directed the Dublin Fringe Festival for several years. The connections he forged, his good reputation in the scene and the well-known name Aurora Nova later proved invaluable for his agency. It was then that he began to build the “close-knit network of dear friends” that continues to support his company to this day.

Hoffmann works with three colleagues in a shared office space on the first floor of Hof 1. Other colleagues work remotely, in Paris, Vienna and Wiesbaden.

He lives in Zehlendorf, some distance away. His wife would like a workplace closer to home. But Hoffmann wants to stay in the Höfe. The central location makes it easier for him to meet and entertain international guests here; another reason is the close collaboration with the Chamäleon Theatre. Last but not least, the atmosphere of the Hackesche Höfe suits his artistic aspirations. With his productions, which are far from ‘off-the-peg’, he is exactly in the right place here.