Music theatre
24.8.-31.8.2025
Jahrhunderthalle Bochum

Interdisciplinary music theatre about life after love.

Inspired by the music of Nina Simone and Frank Sinatra, I Did It My Way tells the story of a breakup between two opposites: a man who clings to the idea of love as something unchanging and a woman who embraces transformation, no matter the cost. She, a Black woman, finds her purpose in the civil rights movement, her voice rising in passion and protest. He, a white man, remains in Watertown, unable to move on. Rooted in the familiar, he retreats into nostalgia, searching for meaning in the past instead of the future. Her growth exhilarates her. He is left behind in a life that no longer fits. Their feelings unfold solely through music – duets and solos that weave together love and longing, harmony and discord, liberation and loss. I Did It My Way is inspired by the legacy of two legendary American musicians: Frank Sinatra and Nina Simone. The rising intersdisciplinary artist Larissa Sirah Herden (Lary) – her latest film project was awarded with a Grimme-Preis – and Lars Eidinger, one of the most famous faces of the German theatre and film landscape, embody the conflicted couple, accompanied by four dancers and a swinging big band.

Produced by Ruhrtriennale. Co-produced by Staatsoper Stuttgart and in partnership with Faso Danse Theatre.

  • Larissa Sirah Herden and two dancers under colorful stage lighting perform a synchronized dance with raised arms and expressive facial gestures in front of a white house structure.
    © Jan Versweyveld
  • Lars Eidinger and two men jump simultaneously on stage with expressive body posture — their movements are powerful and synchronized.
    © Jan Versweyveld
  • Several performers dance energetically on an open stage in front of a white house structure; one leaps dynamically into the air.
    © Jan Versweyveld
  • Larissa Sirah Herden stands calmly with crossed arms in the background, while Lars Eidinger walks past her in the foreground with a downward gaze — the scene conveys tension.
    © Jan Versweyveld

Cast

  • Conceived and directed by
    • Ivo Van Hove
  • Musical Director, Arrangements
    • Henry Hey
  • Choreography
    • Serge Aimé Coulibaly
  • Set Design, Lighting Design
    • Jan Versweyveld
  • Video Design
    • Christopher Ash
  • Costume Design
    • An D'Huys
  • Sound Design
    • Erwin Sterk
  • Dramaturgical Advice
    • Koen Tachelet
  • Associate Set Design
    • Bart Van Merode
  • Associate Lighting Design
    • Dennis van Scheppingen
  • Associate Sound Design
    • Dennis Slot
  • With
    • Lars Eidinger,
    • Larissa Sirah Herden
  • Choreography performed and created by
    • Ida Faho,
    • Sylvie Sanou,
    • Marco Labellarte,
    • Samuel Planas
  • Band
    • Henry Hey (Piano 1),
    • Volker Kamp (Bass),
    • Tim Dudek (Drums),
    • Philip Breidenbach (Guitar),
    • Christian Frentzen (Piano 2, Keyboard),
    • Luzie Micha (Trumpet, Flugelhorn 2),
    • Christian Mehler (Trumpet, Flugelhorn 1),
    • Philipp Hayduk (Trombone 1),
    • Maxine Troglauer (Trombone 2),
    • Marc Doffey (Saxophone, Flute)
  • Vocal Coach
    • Lucy Woodward
  • Assistant Director
    • Rachel Müller
  • Assistant Costume Design
    • Winnie Janke
  • Stage Management
    • Lea Feth,
    • Mattia Meier
  • Production Manager Ruhrtriennale
    • Stefanie Hiltl
  • Assistant Artistic Production Manager Ruhrtriennale
    • Lara Nikola Roth
  • Technical Project Manager Ruhrtriennale
    • Georg Bugiel
  • Technician
    • Harald Adams,
    • Konrad Anger,
    • Remigius Bartnik,
    • Willi Brune,
    • Leon Dohr,
    • Desirée García López,
    • Bruno Grotsch,
    • Tanya Hofmann,
    • Severino Jurischka,
    • Andreas Korogonas,
    • Frank Kostadimas,
    • Torben Krol,
    • Franzi Luhn,
    • Ole Meißner,
    • Gerd Mikuscheit,
    • Len Pichler,
    • Fernando Quartana,
    • Stefan Rausch,
    • Janine Reich,
    • Uwe Renken,
    • Stephan Schneppel,
    • Alma Schraer,
    • Ralph Schwarzenauer,
    • Roman Sroka,
    • Quirjin van der Baan,
    • Stephanie von Porbeck,
    • Dominik Wegmann
  • Dressing, collaboration costumes
    • Daniela Bermudez,
    • Ute Carow,
    • Paula de la Haye,
    • Pia Norberg,
    • Annette Jasper,
    • Heike Kehrwisch,
    • Freya Rottländer,
    • Alexandra Schramm,
    • Melanie Schulte-Holtey

Set list

You can download the set list for I Did It My Way here.

Supporters Ruhrtriennale

Supported by Ammodo. 

Funded by Brost Stiftung. 

With the kind support of the Verein der Freunde und Förderer der Ruhrtriennale e. V.

Visit

  • Run time
  • Age guidance
  • Notices
  • Introduction
  • Programm
  • Translation into German Sign Language
  • Directions

    Jahrhunderthalle Bochum
    An der Jahrhunderthalle 1
    44793 Bochum

  • Public transport and Kombi-Ticket
  • Directions
  • Travelling by bike
  • Construction site notice
  • Dates and Tickets
    August
    August

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