{"id":75,"date":"2020-04-29T09:35:05","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T09:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/?p=75"},"modified":"2022-02-05T13:07:59","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T13:07:59","slug":"on-migration-towards-europe-simple-as-abc3-the-wild-hunt-by-thomas-bellinck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/on-migration-towards-europe-simple-as-abc3-the-wild-hunt-by-thomas-bellinck\/","title":{"rendered":"On Migration towards Europe. Simple as ABC#3: The Wild Hunt<\/em> by Thomas Bellinck"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Garcia Martinez Manuel<\/strong>*<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstract<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Simple as ABC#3: The Wild Hunt<\/font>, directed by the Belgian director Thomas Bellink, evokes illegal migration to Europe, which has been taking place since the so-called Arab Spring of 2011. The show criticizes the attitude of rejection adopted by European countries toward migrants. It presents an imaginary museum of objects symbolizing the violence against foreigners and provides floor to testimonies of migration.
Keywords:<\/strong> migration, Belgian theatre, Thomas Bellinck<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simple as\nABC#3: The Wild Hunt,<\/em> directed by Thomas Bellinck, has been presented at the\nKunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels, Belgium) in May 2019. This production\ndenounces the conditions and the humiliations suffered by illegal migrants\ncoming from the Middle East and Africa to Europe since 2011. Additionally,\nBellinck speaks out against the lack of assistance, the cruelty and violence exerted by European countries\nand their inhabitants towards migrants. The production, created in Belgium, has\nspecial resonance in this country. Migration is an important and sensitive theme\nin Belgian society from a social, cultural and political point of view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the twentieth\ncentury, Belgium experienced a significant influx of migrants from different\ncountries, especially from Africa. Not all migrants have fully assimilated into\nthe modern life of European countries. For example, the terrorist attacks of\nNovember 13, 2015, in Paris were carried out by Islamist terrorists who left\nBelgium. This traumatic event made the Belgian population even more aware of\nthe self-marginalization of certain groups of migrants coming from the Middle\nEast and Africa, who find in religious and cultural revindications a way to\nreact to what they consider a \u201cstrange culture\u201d\u2014although the Belgian state\nprovides migrants with many social and economic advantages compared to other\ncountries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The marginalization\nof migrants has been used for political gain by some parties. On December 18,\n2018, Charles Michel\u2019s government resigned after members of the Flemish nationalist\nparty N-Va (Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliante) abandoned it, a few days after the announcement of the ratification of\nthe UN Global Compact for Migration by Prime Minister Charles Michel. In the\nelections of May 28, 2019, the far-right party Vlaams Belang became the third\nparty in the chamber of deputies. One of the main axes of its political program\nconcerns the limitation, or even rejection, of foreign migration. In December\n2019, one year after the said resignation, there was still no government in\nBelgium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems, however, that the majority of the Belgian population is more open-minded and tolerant of the diversity of cultures, and thus\nit rejects these political provocations. Moreover,\nBelgian theatre takes a stand against European measures against\nmigration. It has addressed\nthese issues on several occasions, including Ceux que j\u00b4ai rencontr\u00e9 ne\nm\u00b4ont peut-\u00eatre pas vus<\/em> (Those I Have Crossed May Not Have Seen Me<\/em>),\na production of the Nimis Groupe, a\ntheatre company created in 2015 to tackle the European Union\u00b4s migration\npolicies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, director\nChristiane Jatahy presented the project Ithaque \u2013 notre Odyss\u00e9e I <\/em>(Ithaca\u2014Our\nOdyssey 1<\/em>), which\nopened at the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de l\u00b4Od\u00e9on in Paris. In 2019, she put together its second\npart, Notre pr\u00e9sent qui d\u00e9borde \u2013 Notre\nOdyss\u00e9e 2 <\/em>(Our Present that\nOverflows\u2014Our Odyssey 2<\/em>), which played at the Avignon Theatre festival. At the 2019 Kunstenfestivaldesarts\n(Brussels), this topic occupied an important place, with several performances,\ntheatrical demonstrations and events focusing on how migrants travel and then\nadapt to the ways of life in their\nnew country, Belgium. The festival also featured the exhibition Liquid Violence<\/em>,created\nby the Forensic Oceanography Association,\nwhich traced illegal\nmigration from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe through the\nMediterranean. This astonishing exhibition, composed of videos, maps, drawings\nand documentation, demonstrated how many Western countries made decisions to\neither provide help to ships full of migrants adrift in the Mediterranean or\nprevent them from reaching their shores. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Bellinck\u2019s\nproject Simple as ABC#3: The Wild Hunt <\/em>was another important and\nmemorable festival event dedicated to the topic of migration. In its title Simple\nas ABC#3: The Wild Hunt <\/em>suggests that it belongs to a series of Bellinck\u2019s\nprojects dedicated to critically commenting on how European countries reject\nand control migration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simple as\nABC#1: Man vs Machine<\/em> was presented as part of Jozef Wouters\u2019 project Infini 1-15<\/em>  at the 2016 Kunstenfestivaldesarts, whereas Simple\nas ABC#2: Keep Calm & Validate,<\/em> a musical, opened at the 2017\nKunstenfestifaldesarts. The latter presented migration from multiple points of\nview as a set of musical numbers and commented on the harmful effects of data\ncollection, which provokes the loss of the human dimension of migration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example of\ndocumentary theatre, Simple as ABC#3: The Wild Hunt<\/em> aims to stress the\npolitical and humanitarian predicament of migrants who are silenced by European\npolitical powers and to reveal the terrible\nconditions of their flight. In theatre, often these horrific\nexperiences of migration pose the problem of representation. So, many theatre\nartists realize that to present migration on stage is to confront the aesthetic\nlimits of theatre. And thus, they ask: How should the suffering generated by\nthis situation be represented? How should the ruthless character of migration\nbe preserved without diminishing or simplifying it? What theatrical solutions\nshould evoke these terrible conditions without exaggerating them? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milo Rau, a Swiss director working in Belgium, offered solutions to this problem of representation in his outstanding production Empire, <\/em>presented at the 2017 Kunstenfestivaldesarts. This work outlined the terrible conditions of migration from Africa and the Middle East, mainly from Syria, to Europe. Milo Rau cast actors-refugeescas who have been involved in these events. They played their characters and, at the same time, testified to their own experiences of border-crossing. Milo Rau amplified the dramatic effect produced by these testimonies by using simultaneous projections of the actors\u00b4 faces while they talked to the camera. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Simple as\nABC#3: The Wild Hunt,<\/em> Thomas Bellinck continues this tradition. He traveled\nto the refugee camps and documented the conversations he held with migrants; he\ninterviewed witnesses and recorded their testimonies. Simple as ABC#3: The\nWild Hunt<\/em> includes fragments of this material. It also features interviews\nwith journalists and police officers who are directly involved in working with\nmigrants. One of the narrators regrets having had\nto live \u201cthe bitter humiliation of migration,” whereas several Greek journalists indicate the limits of the\ninformation they can report in their articles and photos about illegal\nmigration. These\nphotos do not always tell the truth because the photographers must choose only\nthose images that are not too harsh or disturbing. They often feel censored by\ntheir publication outlets because the latter avoid disclosing extreme\nsituations lived by migrants. One of the journalists featured in this performance is also a migrant. He\nstrongly believes that in his pieces he must get to the bottom of the story and\nexplain it precisely. However, as another journalist explains, the stories of\nmigrants no longer interest the public; therefore, they remain unpublished as\nthey do not bring in any profit.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Bellinck’s staging addresses these limits of representation. It attempts to speak about the urgency of the topic and to the fact that there is also a rejection of it; rejection caused by particularly disturbing images of migration. To re-enforce this paradox, Bellinck gives migrants the floor. He invites them on stage to testify to the horrors of migration both through the interviews he recorded and through the stories they tell. Through this device, he locates the hostility that today\u2019s migrants encounter in Western culture\u2019s history of violence. He questions the myths and discourses of superiority of the European civilization, which often validates violence to the other, while placing emphasis on the history of colonization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Scenography. Simple as ABC#3: The Wild Hunt.<\/em> Directed by Thomas Bellinck. May 2019. Kunstenfestivaldesarts 2019, Brussels (Belgium). Photo: Lauran Van Severen<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Camille Lemonnier, set designer, helps Bellinck to make this violence visible by creating a kind of museum onstage; a symbolic place of memory and history, a theatrical lieu de m\u00e9moire<\/em> (Nora 1989), which keeps and exhibits the objects that constitute the country\u2019s official history. But a museum can also be filled with other objects that symbolize other stories: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Bellinck’s\nimaginary museum contains objects that symbolize the silenced history of\nviolence suffered by migrants. In the middle of the stage, there is a very\nsimple bench on which Bellinck sits with his back to the audience. He serves as\nthe primary or, rather, the original spectator of the play. At the back, there\nis a screen at half height, where the titles, the place and the date of the\nrecordings appear. The main objects of this museum are the oral testimonies\nthat the audience hears. Bellinck’s first action is to place a\nburgundy-coloured European passport, which all citizens of the European Union\nhave the right to own, on a pedestal to the left of the stage, close to the\naudience. This document allows its owner to travel freely around Europe. It is the\nobject that migrants desire the most. To the right of the pedestal, there is a\nsculpture with Aristotle’s head on it and, in front of it, a porcelain statue\nof a large dog symbolizing the guardians of these ideas. On the left, halfway\nup, there is a reproduction of the painting “Wild Hunt” by Peter\nNicolai Arbo from 1877. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aristotle is one of the fundamental philosophers of Western humanism.\nLooking at the bust, the director evokes his early interest in Aristotle, the\ngreat Greek philosopher who laid the theoretical foundations of storytelling.\nAristotle affirms the importance of the stories. Immediately afterwards, the\noff voices of children read a part of The Poetics<\/em> in Greek, symbolizing\nthe importance of the philosopher in school education since ancient times. The\ntext comments that although reality is terrible, we like to hear it narrated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, the director\ncomments on another writing by Aristotle, in which the philosopher focuses on\nthe difference between men. The children\u00b4s voices are heard again. Now, the\nGreek text suggests that war is an art and that some men are born to command\nwar, while others to obey, to be submissive. Later, Bellinck also shows that\nAristotle was the first Western thinker to legitimize slavery and colonialism.\nSpecifically, Aristotle related slavery and colonialism to hunting, and he\nexplained that men develop colonialism by hunting other men and making them\ninto slaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Scenography. Passport. Simple as ABC#3: The Wild Hunt.<\/em> Directed by Thomas Bellinck. May 2019. Kunstenfestivaldesarts 2019, Brussels (Belgium). Photo: Lauran Van Severen<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pointing at the 1877 painting “Wild Hunting,” Bellinck transforms these ideas into visual metaphors. This mythical account of hunting and human cruelty is popular in Northern Europe, but it is also present in other European countries, such as France. It shows a group of supernatural hunters (elves, fairies, or the dead) carrying out a chase, a hunt. The chief hunter is God Odin. The myth indicates that wild hunting often leads to natural disasters. The director links these images to human cruelty and to the sufferings of today\u2019s migrants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On\nstage, Bellinck speaks of how much hunting is admired in Europe, where there are even museums\nabout hunting. The director underlines its attractive character for those who\npractice it. Several voices comment on what could be exhibited in a hunting\nmuseum. Human hunting is associated with war. On several occasions throughout\nthe show, voices evoke the picture of wild hunting by drawing a parallel\nbetween the disaster of the migrants\u2019 fate and human cruelty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After this\nprovocative exposition, the director leaves the stage and the storytelling is\nreplaced by interviews. Stories and anecdotes, narrated in different languages\u2014Arabic,\nEnglish, Farsi, French and Greek\u2014follow one after the other. A multiplicity of\nvoices projected from different sides of the auditorium produce an enveloping\neffect. The bodies of these voices are invisible; they are retained elsewhere\u2014in\na refugee camp or another country. But their voices continue to be heard by the\naudience, who do not know if the people who are speaking are still alive. Confronted\nwith (and confronting) the excess of images on migration, the show leaves\nus in darkness\ninstead of displaying new images. It turns into an auditory performance: the stories\ndetail the circumstances that pushed migrants to undertake the journey from\nAfghanistan, Libya, Tunisia, Iran, Syria, Greece, or between Albania and Greece.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The production then\nbecomes more repetitive, but the succession of stories and the increase of the\nhorror narrated is carefully elaborated, as terrible images alternate with\ndemonstrations of positive human attitudes. The staging uses different\nresources to distance the expression of pain. In most cases, the migrants\u00b4\nvoices briefly comment on a photo or a drawing before being replaced by\nfirst-person personal narratives. These stories reveal the process of\ndehumanization as experienced by migrants. During the first few accounts, the\nbackdrop of the stage is illuminated to create the effect of a barren, dry\nland; then, the lighting changes, it turns blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Thomas Bellinck and Aristote. Simple as ABC#3: The Wild Hunt.<\/em> Directed by Thomas Bellinck. May 2019. Kunstenfestivaldesarts 2019, Brussels (Belgium). Photo: Georges Salameh for Onassis Stegi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The first story is told through the photograph of a migrant child waiting at a bus station, who is reported by a ticket seller to the police. Another one talks of a sea crossing, of people who were thrown overboard or sacrificed. The storyteller confesses that they were silent for fear of the other people on the ship; the fear of death during the voyage dehumanized them. “Everyone follows their own voyage,” the storyteller says. Despite the alliances and friendships that the refugees establish within their group, they must (and prefer to) protect themselves. Other stories recall a sea full of corpses. The migrants’ nightmare is drowning. Some black humour accentuates this feeling of horror. “The last suit doesn’t have pockets,” they say, because migrants no longer need pockets to keep their passports or visas in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This way, the\nproduction states the unavoidable effect of migration: whatever gets left behind cannot be returned. A\ntrafficker from Tunisia, who helped migrants cross the border, tells of the\ncorruption, the need to bribe the police and the politicians, and the risks his\nwork entails. The man shows indifference when a ship sinks: he turns off his\nphone and disappears to avoid being contacted.       <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lighting,\ndesigned by Lucas Van Haesbroeck, contributes to the progression of this story.\nAs we hear the stories narrated, the light decreases and the stage falls into\ndarkness. Our attention is directed toward the screen, where we see the\nsentences projected one after another. Written in red, these letters and\nphrases represent blood; they gradually melt into a homogenous background of\nthe same red colour. The projection of French and English surtitles, the\ntranslations of the written text, produces an effect of distance and\ndepersonalization: the bodies and their\nphysical presence have disappeared, only voices remain. The use of writing facilitates the disappearance of\nthe actor.          <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Thomas Bellinck. Simple as ABC#3: The Wild Hunt.<\/em> Directed by Thomas Bellinck. May 2019. Kunstenfestivaldesarts 2019, Brussels (Belgium). Photo: Lauran Van Severen<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the next section, Simple as ABC#3: The Wild Hunt<\/em> comments on the hostility and humiliation to which migrants are submitted by the locals when they finally reach the European shores. Some stories do speak of generous deeds performed by the migrants\u2019 hosts. These deeds nuance the negative attitude of European populations and governments towards migration, although, in the end, all these stories highlight the injustice. For example, there is the story of a Tunisian captain who, between 2009 and 2019, collected corpses found at sea and had them buried in a Muslim cemetery. But, soon, the cemetery was out of space and the question of the religion of those drowned (and who might not be Muslims) was raised. The Captain began to look for a new place to bury the drowned, and, finally, the village granted him an old dunghill. The Captain cleaned the rubble heap and called this “the cemetery of the unknown.” When this place was also full, the Captain built another level on top of it, which is also completely full today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recorded in Kabul in\n2010, the last recording narrates the story of a child who, in order to prevent\nhis trafficker father from being apprehended, accepted to be repeatedly raped\nby a policeman. Journalists convinced the boy to tell his story and to denounce\nhis abuser. But the policeman threatened the journalists, cited his relations\nwith top U.S. military commanders in NATO and asked them to stop their\ninvestigation. The journalists\u2019 office was searched, while the journalists\nthemselves were forced to leave together with their families, and thus had to\nput themselves in the hands of traffickers to cross the border. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The audience, sitting\nin darkness and often looking only at the red letters of the texts projected\nfor them while listening to the narrations, remains on edge and highly\nattentive up until the end of the performance. Despite its minimalism, Simple\nas ABC#3: The Wild Hunt<\/em> turns out to be one of the most striking theatre\nprojects dedicated to denouncing the current conditions of illegal migration to\nEurope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simple as ABC#3: The Wild Hunt<\/em><\/strong> by Thomas Bellinck<\/strong> <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Production credits<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Text<\/strong>: Said Reza Hosseini Adib, Samaneh Arian, Aristotle, Ghazi Ayari, Thomas Bellinck, Rihab Chaabane, Abir Farhat, Karima Ganji, Parisa Heidari, Chamseddine Marzoug, Vasilis Mathioudakis,  Mounir, Fatemeh Mousavi, Mohammad Javad Mousavi, Farouk Ouartani, Racist Violence Recording Network, Marwen Sammoud, Ervin Shehu, Yiouli Vitou
Artistic collaborator<\/strong>: Jeroen Van der Ven
Directing<\/strong>: Thomas Bellinck
Dramaturgy<\/strong>: Esther Severi
Interpreting<\/strong>: Said Reza Hosseini Adib, Yasmine Bhar, Hayfa Ghozzi, Rym Haddad, Pafsanias Karathanasis, Amal Rouissi, Georgia Spyropoulou, Aisha Zaied
Lighting design<\/strong>: Lucas Van Haesbroeck
Lighting technician<\/strong>: Marie Vandecasteele
Performance<\/strong>: Said Reza Hosseini Adib, Ghazi Ayari, Thomas Bellinck, Abir Farhat, Karima Ganji, Parisa Heidari, Chamseddine Marzoug, Mounir, Fatemeh Mousavi, Mohammad Javad Mousavi, Farouk Ouartani, Nikos Palaiologos, Orestis Seferoglou, Ervin Shehu, The 5th Grade of the 28th Elementary School of Athens, Yiouli Vitou
Production management<\/strong>: Celine van der Poel
Production<\/strong>: Dimitra Dernikou, Yalena Kleidara, Francesca Pinder, Sandra Raes Oklobdzija, Aisha Zaied
Pyrotechnics & set technician<\/strong>: Niels Antonissen
Research & production assistance<\/strong>: Kaat Balfoort, Hayfa Ghozzi, Pafsanias Karathanasis, Bilel Melki, Amal Rouissi, Georgia Spyropoulou, Laurien Versmissen
Scenography<\/strong>: Camille Lemonnier
Set<\/strong>: Niels Antonissen, Guy Cuypers, Daan Roosen, Toneelhuis Decoratelier, Tim Vanhentenryck, Marjan Verachtert
Sound design<\/strong>: Bart Celis
Sound editing<\/strong>: Lars Morren, Emiel Redant, Johannes Ringoot
Sound technician<\/strong>: Arthur De Vuyst
Stagecraft<\/strong>: Mathias Batsleer, Steven Bontinck, Ijf Boulet, Victor Dries, Johannes Rigoot, Diederik Suykens, Bert Van Dijck
Technical production management<\/strong>: Arthur De Vuyst
Transcription<\/strong>: Samia Amami, Sana Chamekh, Farideh Ghalandari, Amira Hamdi, Cyrine Ben Ismail, Yalena Kleidara
Translation & surtitles<\/strong>: Yasmine Akrimi, Amal Boualga, Vassilis Douvitsas, Mahdieh Fahimi, Farbod Fathinejad, Iannis Goerlandt, Welid Hmeissia, Haythem Khamri, Yalena Kleidara, Marwa Manai, Anna Muchin, Eleni Nasiou, Juliane Regler, Mona Silavi
Production<\/strong>: ROBIN
Co-production<\/strong>: Dream City \/ L\u2019Art Rue (Tunis), De Grote Post (Ostend), Fast Forward Festival \/ Onassis Cultural Centre (Athens), Kaaitheater (Brussels), Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels)
With the support of<\/strong>: KASK \/ School of Arts of University College Ghent, LabexMed \/ Maison M\u00e9diterran\u00e9enne des Sciences de l’Homme (Marseille), The Flemish Community of Brussels, The Flemish Government
Concept inspired by Gr\u00e9goire Chamayou\u2019s Manhunts<\/strong>: A Philosophical History
Additional research interviews<\/strong>: The Asylum Service, The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, The Hellenic Police<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to:<\/strong> Halima Aissa, Ifigeneia Anastasiadi, Dimitris Angelidis, Anonymous, Katia Arfara, Simon Baetens, Louise Bergez, Marc Bernardot, Moon Blaisse, Hassen Boubakri, Sana Bousbih, Dimitris Christopoulos, Ismael Ciss\u00e9, Patrick De Coster, Johan Dehollander, Bert De Puydt, Omar Fassatoui, Apostolis Fotiadis, Jan Goossens, Hamma Weld Hamida, Louis Janssens, Lobna Jlassi, Ebia Joel, Wafa Kanzari, Khalid Koujili, KVS, Malek Lakhal, Mostfa Lakhdher, Lorena Lando, Leon Konda Ler, Mohsen Lihidheb, Mahdi Mabrouk, Jalel Mahmoudi, Ahmed Mansour, Brigitte Marin, Fatma Mathlouthi, Rosine Mbakam, Yonus Mohamed, Selma Ouissi, Kostis Papaioannou, Lefteris Papagiannakis, Clio Papapantoleon, St\u00e9phanie Poussel, Fanny Robles, Eleni Spathana, Isabel Mohedano Sohm, Imed Soltani, Timo Sterckx, Loes Swaenepoel, Toneelhuis, Carine van Bruggen, Naomi Van Der Horst, An van. Dienderen, Eleonore Van Godtsenhoven et al. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

*<\/a>Manuel Garc\u00eda Mart\u00ednez<\/strong> is a Tenured Lecturer at the Department of Classical, French and Italian Philology in the Faculty of Philology, University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). He has a PhD. on the perception of rhythm in theatre from the University of Paris 8 (France). He teaches French literature, theatre and performance analysis. His main lines of research concern contemporary French theatre, theatrical theory, current theatrical innovation, the contemporary dissolution of the boundaries between different theatrical genres and the perception of time. His research focuses mostly on time, rhythm and temporality in theatre, both in dramatic texts and in contemporary theatrical productions and performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copyright \u00a9<\/strong> 2020 Garcia Martinez Manuel
Critical Stages\/Sc\u00e8nes critiques<\/em> e-ISSN: 2409-7411<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Creative<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This work is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution International License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[11],"class_list":["post-75","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\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/03\/image4.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":761,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/in-pursuit-of-the-musical-image-imagining-the-soundscape-of-wild-man\/","url_meta":{"origin":75,"position":0},"title":"In Pursuit of the Musical Image: Imagining the Soundscape of Wild Man","author":"Garcia Martinez Manuel","date":"June 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Xing Fan* Abstract This article offers an examination of polyphonic technique in Gao Xingjian\u2019s Wild Man (1985). The discussion of polyphony in this play has been predominantly focusing on parts delivered by the human voice. 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Performed in Mandarin Chinese. Set and Costume Design: Sandra Woodall. Lighting: Michael Lee-zenChien. Projections: Ethan Wang. Company: Performance Workshop Shanghai. Venue: Theatre Above, Shanghai, China. Premiere: December 6, 2019. With a playing time of over five hours, Stan Lai\u2019s latest work,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Performance Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Performance Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/category\/performance-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/04\/image10.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/04\/image10.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/04\/image10.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/04\/image10.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":398,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/introductory-words\/","url_meta":{"origin":75,"position":2},"title":"Introductory Words","author":"Garcia Martinez Manuel","date":"May 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Yana Meerzon* Dear reader, As we prepare the June 2020 issue (#21) to be released, we find ourselves in a new world of social distancing, self-isolation and developing anxieties for our health and economic wellbeing. This is the world that we could not imagine or anticipate even a few months\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Essays"","block_context":{"text":"Essays","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/category\/essays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/Meerzon.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":658,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/playing-with-disaster\/","url_meta":{"origin":75,"position":3},"title":"Playing with Disaster","author":"Garcia Martinez Manuel","date":"May 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Patricia Keeney* Us\/Them. Written and directed by Carly Wijs. Cast: Gytha Parmentier, Roman Van Houtven. Created with Thomas Vantuycom. Presented by Bronks and Richard Jordan Productions with Theatre Royal Plymouth and Big in Belgium in association with Summerhall as part of the 2019-2020 Off-Mirvish Theatre Season in Toronto, Canada. Active\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Performance Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Performance Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/category\/performance-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/PER-usthem3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/PER-usthem3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/PER-usthem3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/PER-usthem3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":241,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/on-the-hungarian-border-of-illuminating-and-alienating\/","url_meta":{"origin":75,"position":4},"title":"On the Hungarian Border of Illuminating and Alienating","author":"Garcia Martinez Manuel","date":"April 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Cole J. Stern* dunaPart5, Budapest, Hungary, Nov 27 to Nov 30, 2019. The dunaPart festival is billed as \u201cPlatform in Hungary,\u201d but it might be better labeled as \u201cPlatform of Hungary.\u201d An oft overlooked part of Eastern Europe, the participants often had to tread a line between being cultural ambassadors\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Performance Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Performance Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/category\/performance-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/04\/image3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/04\/image3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/04\/image3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/04\/image3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":70,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/making-community-in-the-age-of-migration-what-is-the-role-of-social-media-in-contemporary-theatre\/","url_meta":{"origin":75,"position":5},"title":"Making Community in the Age of Migration: What Is the Role of Social Media in Contemporary Theatre","author":"Garcia Martinez Manuel","date":"May 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Janne Cleveland* Abstract In thinking about the aspects of staging that mediate performance, I turn to my experience of seeing the 2018 Stratford Festival production of Shakespeare's Coriolanus, directed by Robert Lepage. What stood out to me, in one scene, was how texting on a large screen conveyed dialogue to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Essays"","block_context":{"text":"Essays","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/category\/essays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/03\/image2-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/03\/image2-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/03\/image2-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/03\/image2-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1139,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75\/revisions\/1139"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}