Hype the Pain
Miller de Nobili
Behind every meme lies a truth we can’t describe. In their new production ‘Hype the Pain’, Miller de Nobili – winners of the 2025 Dresden State Capital Sponsorship Award – turn their gaze to the digital world — a space where irony becomes a coping mechanism, where fake spreads faster than facts, and fleeting images quietly shape ideologies. Laughter hides the pain of a biased world: jokes become shields, discomfort slips beneath punchlines, and the call for attention transforms into performance.
Together with a cast of five performers, blending breaking, urban, and contemporary dance with theatrical forms, Maria Chiara de Nobili & Alexander Miller explore how digital humour shapes our emotions and beliefs. Movement and fragmented voices collide into a dissonant chorus, echoing the overstimulation and distortion of the online world.
Is it still a game when we no longer know who is playing? Are we shaping the digital age — or is it shaping us?
Support now: Crowdfunding for “Hype the Pain”
On October 24, “Hype the Pain” by Miller de Nobili celebrates its premiere at HELLERAU. With a lot of humor and energy, the play deals with meme culture and the emotional weight of our everyday digital lives. A crowdfunding campaign is currently running on Startnext so that the production can be realized. The goal: €8,500. Every contribution counts – let’s hype the art!
A co-production by HELLERAU – European Centre for the Arts.
Miller de Nobili was founded in 2020 by Maria Chiara de’ Nobili and Alexander Miller to artistically combine their passions for breakdancing, contemporary and urban dance theatre, and performative techniques. Both completed the MA programme in choreography at the Palucca University of Dance Dresden. Miller de Nobili has had a close partnership with HELLERAU since its foundation. The first full-length work, ‘PACK’, premiered in 2021 as part of the TANZPAKT festival ‘Dancing About’ in HELLERAU and received an invitation to the Tanzplattform Deutschland in 2022. Most recently, Miller de Nobili was a guest at HELLERAU in March 2024 with ‘Labyrinth’. In 2025, Miller de Nobili received the sponsorship award from the state capital of Dresden.
