When there’s a bang on stage: science meets the theatre New "WAS IST WAS" series kicks off at the Staatstheater with special effects
Photo credit: Science and Art Lab / TU Braunschweig
Why is it allowed to smoke and make explosions on a theatre stage? How are special effects created and when does fascination turn into danger? The Science and Art Lab at Technische Universität Braunschweig and the Staatstheater Braunschweig invite you to experience theatre in a new light with a series of events. The series kicks off on 13 October 2026 in the Staatstheater’s Aquarium.
Theatre can enchant. It can create worlds, transform light and sound, evoke memories – and sometimes it even makes sparks fly. Yet behind much of what looks like magic on stage lie Physics, Chemistry, technology and a wealth of knowledge.
This is precisely where the new six-part series “WAS IST WAS – Theatre Meets Science” comes in. Throughout the season, the Science and Art Lab at TU Braunschweig and the Staatstheater Braunschweig will be bringing together people from the worlds of science, the arts and society at the Aquarium. Together, they will explore phenomena that we encounter both in the theatre and in everyday life: from gravity and sound to light and our memory.
There won’t be any long lectures or complicated technical terms. The focus is on curiosity, unusual perspectives and the question: what’s actually behind it all? Very much in the spirit of the well-known “WAS IST WAS” books, the series is an invitation to anyone interested in theatre, science, or simply asking good questions to take a closer look.
Things are set to heat up right from the start
It all kicks off on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, at 19:30 with Special Effects: “Sound and Smoke – on Pyrotechnics and Danger”. What happens when there are flashes, smoke and explosions on stage? And where does the spectacular effect end, and where does the danger begin? Professor Martin Bröring from TU Braunschweig, Frankfurt-based pyrotechnics artist Sandra Kranich and Chief Physician Dr Cord Christian Corterier will discuss these questions from the perspectives of science, art and medicine.
Six evenings bridging the stage, everyday life and science
On the following five dates, “WAS IST WAS” will also be examining a phenomenon that plays a special role in the theatre – and far beyond:
- Special Effects: 13 October 2026, 19:30. Sound and Smoke – on pyrotechnics and danger
- Gravity: 3 November 2026, 19:30. Masses attract one another – and what we can do about it
- Sound: 12 January 2027, 19:30. When sound turns into noise – how we hear things
- Audience: 2 February 2027, 19:30. No Audience – No Theatre
- Memory: 20 April 2027, 19:30. Memorising – Keeping Memories Alive
- Light: 25 May 2027, 19:30. Spot on – Between Illusion and Enlightenment
All events take place in the Aquarium at the Staatstheater Braunschweig.
About the Science and Art Lab
The Science and Art Lab at TU Braunschweig brings together top-level research and art. It creates spaces for new perspectives on scientific and societal issues. Scientists, artists and the public come together through exhibitions, screenings, discussions and experimental event formats.
The Science and Art Lab is funded as part of the Ecoversity initiative at TU Braunschweig by “zukunft.niedersachsen”, the Niedersachsen Foundation and the Braunschweig Foundation.
Further information and tickets:
“WAS IST WAS – Theatre Meets Science” on the website of the Staatstheater Braunschweig