They Divided the Sky

The Daniel Schlusser Ensemble is sort of a big deal in Melbourne, and now the director-led company is coming to Sydney for Belvoir's indie 25a season. Schlusser will direct his own adaptation of German novelist Christa Wolf's 1963 book Divided Heaven, which follows an unlikely romance unfolding as the Berlin Wall is built. Nikki Shiels (last seen in Belvoir's The Sugar House) plays the idealistic Rita, and Stephen Phillips plays the pedantic Manfried. Robert Cousins, best known for his work on large-scale productions (like Opera Australia's mammoth Ring Cycle) will design the production for Belvoir's intimate Downstairs Theatre.