Austrian performer Stefanie Sommer will return to Polka Theatre from 14-25 August 2024.

Come and explore an ecosystem of balloons: universes in miniature.

In Rise and Fall, you’ll meet all manner of balloons from small floating moons to vast bouncing orbs. Forever expanding and contracting, balloons are free to float, fly and sway. Hold your breath and go sailing away.

Rise and Fall is a poetic and intriguing performance for young audiences about holding on and letting go.

Age: 2 - 5 years

More information and booking here.

Stefanie Sommer is a performer, teacher, and director with a passion for devised theatre, movement improvisation, and play. She has taught movement and character development at ALRA South, Central Saint Martins, Rose Bruford, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and also at VETA in Vienna for the past years.

She loves to create performances that use a clear aesthetic quality, movement and sounds to create a visceral experience for the spectators. Most recently she played the character ‘Cinello’ at Wiener Konzerthaus in a series of four pieces developed with various musicians (Bogdan Laketic, Antonia Straka, Julia Schneckenleitner, Miriam Adefris) over the autumm and spring season. This year she also co-directed the devised piece ‘That’s what she said’ with the 1st year students at VETA (Vienna English Theatre Academy). Last year she directed the devised performance ‘Parasol’ at VETA, as well as the play ‘Girls & Boys’ by Dennis Kelly at Theater Arche in Vienna.

She has been collaborating with Page One Theatre in London for the past years and developed, amongst other pieces, the solo performance 'Rise and Fall‘, which toured the UK and Vienna, and was shown at the Southbank Centre in February 2023, at the Royal Opera House in June 2019, as well as being featured as part of a permanent video display at the Young Victoria & Albert Museum.