{"id":296,"date":"2019-10-28T21:32:49","date_gmt":"2019-10-28T21:32:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/?p=296"},"modified":"2022-02-05T13:28:05","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T13:28:05","slug":"the-dramaturgy-of-non-belonging-jeroen-coppens-in-dialogue-with-motus-on-sharing-identity-in-panorama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/the-dramaturgy-of-non-belonging-jeroen-coppens-in-dialogue-with-motus-on-sharing-identity-in-panorama\/","title":{"rendered":"The Drama(turgy) of Non-Belonging:  Jeroen Coppens in Dialogue with Motus on Sharing Identity in Panorama"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Jeroen Coppens<\/strong><a href=\"#end\" name=\"back\">*<\/a> and <strong>Motus<\/strong><a href=\"#end2\" name=\"back2\">**<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"abstract\"><strong>Abstract<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap abstract\">This article presents a dialogue with the founders of the Motus&nbsp;theatre collective,&nbsp;Daniela Nicol\u00f2&nbsp;and Enrico&nbsp;Casagrande. It discusses the performance&nbsp;Panorama&nbsp;(2017), in regard to the recurring themes&nbsp;of identity and&nbsp;exclusion, (post-)nationalism and (non-)belonging in the work of Motus, and&nbsp;explores how these&nbsp;themes relate to the issue of verbal expression and&nbsp;multilinguality in&nbsp;Panorama. The interview gives insight&nbsp;into how Motus\u2019s multilayered dramaturgies of logos,&nbsp;image, sound and language can be a viable alternative to&nbsp;oppositional thinking,&nbsp;and how art can play an activist and catalyst role in today\u2019s diverse&nbsp;society.<br><strong>Keywords: <\/strong>Motus<strong>, <\/strong>Nicol\u00f2, Casagrande, Alexis, Nella Tempesta, La MaMa, borders, migration, language, identity<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nItalian theatre collective Motus is well known for theatre performances that\nchallenge artificial borders and fixed prejudices. Motus was founded in Italy,\nin 1991, by Daniela Nicol\u00f2 and Enrico Casagrande.\nWhile studying sociology and the history of economics at the University of\nUrbino, in Italy, they started experimenting at the university theatre with\ntheatrical forms to communicate with their audiences, much like the American\nexperimental theatre company The Living Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" data-attachment-id=\"298\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/the-dramaturgy-of-non-belonging-jeroen-coppens-in-dialogue-with-motus-on-sharing-identity-in-panorama\/image1-13\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image1-2.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"800,450\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image1-2.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image1-2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-298\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image1-2.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image1-2-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image1-2-768x432.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption> Enrico Casagrande and Daniela Nicol\u00f2. Photo: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=qr_G-grE3fU\" target=\"_blank\">youtube<\/a>  <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As\ndirectors, dramaturgs and writers, Nicol\u00f2\nand Casagrande put Motus on the map as a theatre collective which,\nwith their international theatre performances, transcends borders, historical\nmoments and disciplines, while confronting contemporary themes and conflicts. Their\nworks include <em>MDLSX<\/em>, <em>Nella\nTempesta<\/em>,\nand <em>Alexis: A Greek Tragedy<\/em>. Most recently, Motus challenged the\ntenacious prejudices that surround the theme of international migration in\ntheir performance entitled <em>Panorama<\/em>\n(2017). Rather than tackling migration in a politically biased manner, Motus\nlooks at migration as part of human nature and of the natural order itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"video-1\"><strong>Video 1<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alexis. A greek tragedy _DEMO\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/31946961?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption> <em>Alexis: A Greek Tragedy<\/em>. Devised and directed by Enrico Casagrande and Daniela Nicol\u00f2, with Silvia Calderoni, Vladimir Aleksic, Benno Steinegger, Alexandra Sarantopoulou, Michalis Traitsis and Giorgina Pilozzi. Dramaturgy: Daniela Nicol\u00f2. Video editing: Enrico Casagrande <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier,\nthe theatre collective had already engaged with the issue of migration in a\nsimilar way with <em>Nella Tempesta<\/em>\n(2014), a contemporary remake of William Shakespeare\u2019s <em>The Tempest.<\/em> Here,\nMotus tackles issues of identity and migration, featuring a sinking migrants\u2019\nboat twenty miles off the shore of Lampedusa, the island that became well-known\nfor the overcrowded refugee shelters in 2009 and that saw an enormous surge in\nrefugee arrivals during the 2011 violence in Libya and Tunisia. Combining\npersonal testimonies of migration with <em>The Tempest\u2019s <\/em>central themes of\ngaining power and control over others, the performance raises interesting\nethical questions about nationalism, geographic boundaries and fear of\nmigration. This is highlighted even more by the fact that <em>Nella Tempesta <\/em>uses\nblankets, brought by the audience, as a symbol for shelter and protection.\nAfter the performance, the blankets are donated to local charities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"video-2\"><strong>Video 2<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NELLA TEMPESTA\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WpwCsLUagBo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption> <em>Nella Tempesta<\/em>. Devised and directed by Enrico Casagrande and Daniela Nicol\u00f2 (2014) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Motus\u2019s\nartistic work is characterized by a significant interest both in exploring\npost-nationalistic and nomadic fluid identities that defy traditional definitions\nand preconceptions, and in the ethical consequences of these concepts. In <em>Panorama<\/em>, Motus collaborates\nwith performers that belong to the Great Jones Repertory Company at the\nlegendary La MaMa theatrein\nNew York City\u2019s East Village, founded by Ellen Stewart. The performers have a \u201csuperdiverse\u201d background, as many\nof them have moved from other states and countries and chose New York as their\nhome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Drawing\nfrom interviews and testimonies of the performers, <em>Panorama <\/em>presents its audience\nwith their experiences of inclusion and exclusion, with processes of\n(non-)belonging in which nomadism and migration are a sign of humanity\u2019s need\nto be in constant motion. This interview with Nicol\u00f2 and Casagrande explores how\nMotus\u2019s dramaturgy of non-belonging can be a viable alternative to oppositional\nthinking, and how art can play an activist and catalyst role in today\u2019s superdiverse society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><strong>Motus has already worked with the adaptation of classical texts and with the semi-biographical\u2014presenting something as biographical that actually is not. Why did Motus make the shift toward individual and collective biographies?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Daniela\nNicol\u00f2<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong>\nThe stories of the actors have always been important in our way of working. For\nexample, in <em>Alexis<\/em>, we\nask a lot from the actors, and, specifically, their points of view, specific\nmoments of their lives connected to Antigone. We always work the actors into\nthe performance and into the process. In this way, the autobiographical has\nalways been a part of the performances of Motus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In\n2016, when La MaMa first asked us to work with the Great Jones Repertory\nCompany, we decided first to get to know them better and organise a workshop.\nWe started to discover their incredibly different backgrounds. Also, the\ncontext of working in the United States was important. This was so even before\nthe Presidential elections, but the question of inclusion has always been a\ndifficult issue there. That is why we decided that it might be a good idea to\nstart only from biographies, even if we don\u2019t want to create a real story-telling\nshow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Enrico\nCasagrande: <\/strong>The point of view that we chose was not to\nspeak about something general or biographical, but to look at small events in people\u2019s\nlives, trying to reconstruct and rebuild a story by means of small moments and\nmemories. We started with things that were so specific and small, but that can\nbecome universal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"video-3\"><strong>Video 3<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"MOTUS   Panorama\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hoB8qZ9ecIw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption> Motus\u2019s <em>Panorama<\/em>; video clip <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><strong>They become universal in the sense that the show propagates a non-reductive view on individual and collective identity; the fact that we all \u201cinhabit\u201d different and plural identities. In Panorama, you chose to connect this issue of fluid identities with the dramaturgy of a casting show. In the first scene, the audience sees video footage of the performers, all answering different questions typical in a casting context. Why did you connect the issue of identity with the performative context of an audition?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Daniela\nNicol\u00f2<\/strong>: In the beginning, our idea was just to collect text\nmaterial and to get to know the performers better. The first step of the\ncreation process was to formulate a lot of questions, maybe 40 to 45. We\ndecided to do an interview with all members of La MaMa, in which they had to\nanswer these questions about themselves. Of course, they knew that it wasn\u2019t a\nreal audition. But, afterwards, when we looked at the interviews again, we were\nstruck by the way in which they stood in front of the camera and spoke of\nthemselves; how they presented themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In\nNew York, surviving as an actor is difficult, so actors have to do a lot of auditions,\nweek in and week out. They have to find a way to present themselves, to sell\nthemselves. Oftentimes, actors from different backgrounds and countries have to\ngo along with stereotypes. For example: the Chinese guy always has to play\nroles with a Chinese accent, although his mother tongue is English. In the\nmovie system, there are targeted castings for African Americans, Asian people, and\nso on, and they are always cast for the same sort of characters. In this way,\nidentities and stereotypes are perpetuated. For us, this was an interesting\nthing to invert: using this movie casting dimension, which is full of\nstereotypes and preconceived identities, and do something else with it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><strong>Interestingly, the casting videos that are used in the first scene are re-used moments later in a live context, albeit \u201cdistorted.\u201d The personal stories from the casting videos are re-told and re-answered by other performers onstage. In this sense, personal identity is deconstructed and the performance shows how identity is performed. In auditions, you have to present yourself in the best way possible, in a chameleon-like way. Would you say identity is always only performative; always merely a representation of oneself?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Daniela\nNicol\u00f2<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong>\nAbsolutely. But it is also interesting to try to create a shared identity. We\ncombined different actors with different identities, so that they don\u2019t perform\ntheir own identity in the performance. This was also a very good exercise for\nthe group. They know each other quite well, but they told us that they didn\u2019t\nknow each other in that way. The idea of playing each other was interesting for\nthem. But it was also interesting at a broader level, because it is an attempt\nto create a collective biography that is made from small events out of the\ndaily lives of all of its members. In this way, we realised how much the\ntheatre can be a place to share identity, a place of inclusion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" data-attachment-id=\"299\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/the-dramaturgy-of-non-belonging-jeroen-coppens-in-dialogue-with-motus-on-sharing-identity-in-panorama\/image2-13\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image2-2.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"800,533\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Maura Nguyen Donohue in Panorama. Directed by Motus. April 2018. Vooruit, Ghent. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image2-2.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image2-2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-299\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image2-2.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image2-2-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image2-2-768x512.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>Maura Nguyen Donohue in <em>Panorama<\/em>. Directed by Motus. April 2018. Vooruit, Ghent.  Photo: Theo Cote<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><strong>In this sense, the performance is about belonging and about community more than it is about individuals. The performance deals with processes of inclusion and exclusion and of privilege and discrimination in a direct way. These are also very controversial issues in contemporary Western society, both in Europe and in America. Is Panorama an active answer to conservative forces that dominate the public discussions on identity and migration? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Enrico\nCasagrande:<\/strong> It\nwas very important for us to travel across the United States before the show.\nWe had a beautiful journey from San Diego to Texas along the Mexican border.\nThere are some small villages there that are cut in two parts, one part\nMexican, one part American. This was impressive, because we don\u2019t believe that\nyou have to create walls in this world. For our society, thinking about walls\nand the concept of visible borders (instead of invisible ones) also creates a\nquestion of how you trust yourself, in a way. The question of being safe. Safe\nfrom what? Safe from whom? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everybody\nhas to have the right to travel, to move around. But this issue is nowadays\ndominated by fear of the Other. Politicians work a lot with this fear nowadays.\nBut it doesn\u2019t make sense that there are good people versus bad people,\noftentimes divided along racial lines or skin colour. In <em>Panorama<\/em>, we collect such a\ndiverse group in terms of age, race and background to show that binary\ndivisions are not adequate for tackling these issues. It is important to\nunderstand that our society is full of different people and to be fine with\nthat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Daniela\nNicol\u00f2<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong>\nWe also work a lot with the idea of the desire to move. Our actors have all\nmoved. Some migrated from other countries, others moved to New York leaving\ntheir home behind. This desire to move is something that has to be collective.\nThat is why it is incredible that there are a lot of people in the world who are\nnot allowed to do so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In\nthe beginning of the creation period, we spent a long time in the United States.\nBefore the premiere of the show, we had a tryout of the show in Italy,\nimmediately after the victory of the separatist populist party Lega Nord in the\nItalian elections, in March 2018. There, I saw the performance with other eyes.\nA lot of people perceive the show as a manifesto on how rich the possibility can\nbe to share cultural experiences, different religions and backgrounds with others,\nall without being perceived as a danger. This is an important issue for every\ncommunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><strong>Would you say theatre has a role to play in imagining new ways of sharing and coming together?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Daniela\nNicol\u00f2: <\/strong>Yes, at least for us. Every time we start a new project, it\nis because we want to explore and share something with the audience. Most of\nthe times, these are political questions. At this moment, for us, the issue of\ninclusion is the central issue our society has to deal with. After the Italian\nelections, that became something new for which we have to fight in Italy,\nbecause the mentality of the people is changing in response to the kind of fear\nthat is tapped into and used by populist parties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Enrico Casagrande:<\/strong> In the last few years in\nItaly, the relationship with Europe has changed. Italy has now become part of\nthe border with Africa. That triggers a Eurosceptical reflex, because people\nthink that Europe doesn\u2019t help Italy on this issue. This blocks the question of\nliving together on different levels. This border that is Italy, Greece or\nSpain, it is important for everyone. It is not a distant problem; it is a\nproblem for all of us. Italy is not far away; it is here. Europe can and should\ninstigate an evolution in how we think about this issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><strong>In <em>Panorama<\/em>, language is also an important theme. As the audience is presented with a super diverse collective of performers, it is confronted with different foreign languages onstage that are not always subtitled. Do you see language as an important factor for processes of identification, inclusion and exclusion?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Daniela\nNicol\u00f2<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong>\nLanguage is a cage, sometimes. It is always a system to categorise something\nthat might be moving or might be in transformation. \u201cWhat is home for you?\u201d is\none of the first questions we asked all cast members of <em>Panorama<\/em>. The answers were\nextremely different, some related to home countries, cities or other personal\nplaces. The question of home also relates to the question of names, with which\nwe also deal in the performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oftentimes,\nwhen Asian people move to America, they change their names. This shift is\nremarkable, because, as a first step in migrating, you put your original name\naside and take on another name, to assimilate more with your new environment.\nThat is why we started with these very basic questions: Who are you? What is\nhome for you? What is your name? These simple questions turned out to be huge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><strong>Language is not neutral. It plays a big role in signification and identification, both individually and collectively. How do you deal with this issue with regard to the diverse background of the actors?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Enrico\nCasagrande:<\/strong> When\nwe speak a different language, we are actually different people. It is not only\na question of vocabulary or of eloquence, but also of the way thinking changes.\nFor <em>Panorama<\/em>, we\nshifted our working language during the creation process from French to\nEnglish. The temporality of these languages is so different that it has\nconsequences for the way you speak, think and work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Daniela\nNicol\u00f2<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong>\nIt also changes the relation with the actors. English is not our mother tongue,\nso we are neither completely fluent nor completely free of dialect. That way,\nlanguage became a way to be more connected to the actors. People put more\neffort into understanding you; this changes the way in which they talk to you.\nWe found a common \u201cbroken English.\u201d <em>Panorama<\/em> also would have been completely\ndifferent if we had been Americans instead of \u201cforeigners.\u201d The perception of\nthe Other and the relationship with the other has to be built up from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><strong>Language was not only formative in making the performance, but also in the performance itself. In some scenes, the performers deliver lengthy monologues in their mother tongue, which the audience does not always understand as there are no surtitles in these scenes. Why did you choose to perform heteroglossia in this way?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Daniela\nNicol\u00f2<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong>\nThe different languages that are spoken in the performance are English,\nChinese, Spanish and Spanish with a Latino North-American accent. It was\nimportant for us to integrate this linguistic level into the performance,\nbecause it means a lot in the process of integration and inclusion, the way in\nwhich you can and have to find your place and can communicate with one another.\nAnd this is true both within and outside the theatre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Enrico\nCasagrande:<\/strong> For\nus, it was important to include the mother tongue of the performers, because it\nalso relates to a kind of \u201ccoming home\u201d and strangeness at the same time. Let\nme illustrate what I mean. When I was younger, I performed mostly in English.\nWhen my mother, who does not speak English, came to see my show, she couldn\u2019t\nunderstand what I was saying. We wanted to include this vexing experience in <em>Panorama<\/em> and introduce a\nfeeling of the strangeness of language. It is hard to start a new relationship\nwith a foreign language in a new country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With\nthe performance, we also want to reach an audience as diverse as the actors\nthat are on stage. This is an important issue, as theatre audiences are\ntraditionally and predominantly white and bourgeois. In this sense, theatre\naudiences are not really representative of the diversity of the cities they live\nin, whether in age, nationality or religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" data-attachment-id=\"300\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/the-dramaturgy-of-non-belonging-jeroen-coppens-in-dialogue-with-motus-on-sharing-identity-in-panorama\/image3-12\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image3-1.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"800,533\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Maura Nguyen Donohue and eugene the poogene in Panorama. Directed by Motus. April 2018. Vooruit, Ghent. Photo: Theo Cote&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image3-1.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image3-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image3-1.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image3-1-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image3-1-768x512.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>Maura Nguyen Donohue and eugene the poogene in <em>Panorama<\/em>. Directed by Motus. April 2018. Vooruit, Ghent. Photo: Theo Cote<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><strong>This is a beautiful ideal: performing the diversity of living together in terms of languages, nationalities, backgrounds and ages on the stage, until the point is reached when audiences mirror this rich heterogeneity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Daniela\nNicol\u00f2<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong>\nThis would be the ultimate goal. But this is not easy. In theatre, as in\nbroader daily life, you are mostly in contact with the people that know you, or\nwith like-minded people. As much as <em>Panorama<\/em> is about deconstructing fixed\nidentities and introducing an ideal of borderlessness, it remains an open\nquestion whether this plea reaches those who are not convinced that every human\nshould have the right to move freely. To be at home where one chooses.<a name=\"end\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-attachment-id=\"297\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/the-dramaturgy-of-non-belonging-jeroen-coppens-in-dialogue-with-motus-on-sharing-identity-in-panorama\/image4-12\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image4.png\" data-orig-size=\"200,200\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image4\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image4.png\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image4-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-297 alignnone\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image4-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image4.png 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><br>&nbsp;\n\n\n\n<p><a name=\"end\" href=\"#back\">*<\/a><strong>Jeroen Coppens<\/strong>, PhD, Ghent University (Belgium),\npublishes on visual dramaturgy,&nbsp;intermediality, postdramatic\ntheatre&nbsp;and the performance of images. He is a&nbsp;co-editor of the books\n<em>Dramaturgies in the New Millennium <\/em>(2014) and <em>Unfolding\nSpectatorship: Shifting Political, Ethical and Intermedial Positions<\/em>\n(2016). He also works as a freelance dramaturg.<a name=\"end2\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a name=\"end2\" href=\"#back2\">**<\/a><strong>Motus<\/strong> performs internationally with theatre performances that transcend borders, historical moments and disciplines, and confront contemporary themes and conflicts. Most recently, Motus performed <em>Panorama<\/em>, a performance piece about the\u00a0fundamental right to migration. Other works include <em>MDLSX<\/em>, <em>Nella Tempesta<\/em> and <em>Alexis: A Greek Tragedy.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">Copyright <strong>\u00a9<\/strong> 2019 Jeroen Coppens and Motus<br><em>Critical Stages\/Sc\u00e8nes critiques<\/em> e-ISSN: 2409-7411<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/88x31.png\" alt=\"Creative Commons Attribution International License\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">This work is licensed under the<br>Creative Commons Attribution International License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[11],"class_list":["post-296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essays","tag-essay-front"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image2-2.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":713,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/italian-theatre-today-not-a-system-and-so-many-transformations\/","url_meta":{"origin":296,"position":0},"title":"Italian Theatre Today: Not a System, and so Many Transformations","author":"Jeroen Coppens and Motus","date":"December 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Roberto Canziani* Abstract Far from being a system, the Italian scene is an agglomeration where historical events, linguistic varieties, places of creation, small and large legislative provisions and artists' personality shake the theatres and their audiences in an animated chaos. This paper is an account of the various trends and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National Reports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National Reports","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/category\/national-reports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/Image6.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/Image6.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/Image6.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/Image6.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":202,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/on-dramaturgy-of-care-and-encounter-in-the-theatres-of-multilingualism-interview-with-ayham-majid-agha\/","url_meta":{"origin":296,"position":1},"title":"On Dramaturgy of Care and Encounter in the Theatres of Multilingualism: Interview with Ayham Majid Agha","author":"Jeroen Coppens and Motus","date":"October 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Yana Meerzon* Abstract This dialogue between a Syrian theatre director, Ayham Majid Agha, who is currently residing in Berlin, and a theatre scholar, Yana Meerzon, focuses on the challenges and advantages of working in the multilingual performance context of a cosmopolitan metropolis such as Berlin. The artist discusses the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essays&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essays","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/category\/essays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/Ayham-Majid-Agha-featured.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/Ayham-Majid-Agha-featured.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/Ayham-Majid-Agha-featured.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/Ayham-Majid-Agha-featured.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":225,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/age-and-politics-in-early-american-drama\/","url_meta":{"origin":296,"position":2},"title":"Age and Politics in Early American Drama","author":"Jeroen Coppens and Motus","date":"October 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Zoe Detsi* Abstract This paper seeks to explore how age as a determining category of identity was represented on the American stage in the years following the American Revolution. By bringing early American drama\u2014a field largely neglected in itself\u2014into the discussion of performance and age studies, this paper examines age\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Special Topic&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Special Topic","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/category\/special-topic\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/image2-8.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/image2-8.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/image2-8.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/image2-8.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":487,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/queer-shakespeare-desire-and-sexuality\/","url_meta":{"origin":296,"position":3},"title":"Queer Shakespeare: Desire and Sexuality","author":"Jeroen Coppens and Motus","date":"November 27, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Edited by Goran Stanivukovic424 pp. The Arden Shakespeare (Bloomsbury) Reviewed by Sky Gilbert* In his excellent study, Homoerotic Space, Stephen-Guy Bray suggests that consumers of texts\u2014even of the famous classical texts central to Renaissance notions of culture, history and identity\u2014interpret texts as they move through them, according to their own\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/category\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/Sky-Gilbert-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":282,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/a-case-study-of-the-intercultural-production-of-vaike-jumalanna-the-little-goddess\/","url_meta":{"origin":296,"position":4},"title":"A Case Study of the Intercultural Production of V\u00e4ike Jumalanna (The Little Goddess)","author":"Jeroen Coppens and Motus","date":"October 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Izumi Ashizawa* Abstract A devising theatre practitioner, Izumi Ashizawa has been facing the challenges and privileges of creating multi-lingual and intercultural works in different countries for the past 15 years. Each project presented its own unique developmental process, based on the specific\u00a0traits of the local actors, designers and technicians. In\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essays&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essays","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/category\/essays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image2-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image2-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image2-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image2-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":523,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/at-the-end-of-the-day-an-actor-interview-with-tiago-rodrigues\/","url_meta":{"origin":296,"position":5},"title":"At the End of the Day, an Actor: Interview with Tiago Rodrigues","author":"Jeroen Coppens and Motus","date":"December 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Rui Pina Coelho* Tiago Rodrigues is not only the most reputed theatre maker in the contemporary Portuguese theatre and performance landscape. He is one of the most prominent European artists. His approach tends to be Wellesian, finding in acting, writing and directing his most visible expressive tools. Currently Artistic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/image8.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/image8.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/image8.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/image8.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1187,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296\/revisions\/1187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}