{"id":237,"date":"2021-05-05T17:00:08","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T17:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/?p=237"},"modified":"2021-11-21T20:56:19","modified_gmt":"2021-11-21T20:56:19","slug":"loud-voices-from-the-heart-of-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/loud-voices-from-the-heart-of-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Loud Voices from the Heart of Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Christine Matvienko<\/strong>*<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessingtage<\/em> festival, organized by mitos21 theatre network members Thalia Theater, Hamburg (Germany) and Dramaten, Stockholm (Sweden). January 2021, online.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessingtage<\/em> presented almost 20 shows online, from different European theatres, to give audiences the opportunity to see a wide range of directors\u2019 styles and messages. A strong feeling emerges that the theatre languages shown are alike; they discuss similar subjects from similar perspectives. Spirit of crisis, feeling of lost paradise and fear of collapse in the future characterized most of these productions. Of course, the way of speaking depends on the particular text, classical, contemporary or devised, but the mood of these shows could be described as the end of Europe or end of humanism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Peter Baur\u2019s set for Christopher R\u00fcping\u2019s production of Thomas K\u00f6ck\u2019s Climate Trilogy<\/em>. Photo: Krafft Angerer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Paradise flood\/hunger\/play<\/em> based on the play by Thomas K\u00f6ck. Christopher Ruping\u2019s (Thalia Theater, Hamburg) staging was a very dynamic and brutal collection of scenes in which all types of up-to-date clashes are shown. Misjudgments, everyday failures, psychological fears of common people are investigated by the director in a very aggressive way. We see the desperate of the world in a combination of visually effective pictures and an affective style of acting. Everybody shouts in this world\u2014that is the core of Paradise now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A delightfully contemporary take on An Enemy of the People<\/em> in D\u00fcsseldorf. Set and costumes by Carola Reuther. Photo: Sandra Then<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In Enemy of the People<\/em>, based on Ibsen\u2019s famous play and directed by Volker Losch (Schauspielhaus D\u00fcsseldorf), the scenography uses colorful plastic cars. This image demonstrates how modern authorities neglect the ecological agenda and try to fill the world with electronic cars, instead of taking measures to protect the environment. Nothing happens in this world without the approval of capitalism\u2014in this sense, Ibsen is absolutely topical now. Director Volker Losch and playwright Lothar Kittstein have adapted the text from 1882 to present day reality with young environmental activists from D\u00fcsseldorf. This performance combines surrealistic futuristic images of cars overwhelming the world with a declarative way of theatrical speech which made the show more like a political meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The set by Ulla Kassius in the Stockholm Idiot<\/em>. Photo: Roger Stenberg<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Almost all the shows on the list were adaptations of classical texts. Besides Enemy of the People<\/em>, there were two performances based on The Idiot<\/em> by Dostoevsky\u2014one from Dramaten (Stockholm), the other from Theatre of Nations (Moscow). The Idiot<\/em> of Mattias Andersson, artistic director of Dramaten, transformed the core of Dostoevsky\u2019s novel\u2014I mean Prince Myshkin, the new Christ\u2014into a story about a person who was born privileged and throughout his life tried to show generosity\u2014or was he really good? This is the question\u2014to be or seem to be? Mattias Andersson moved the original confrontation into the current social and political agenda, as he did in previous works such as Crime and Punishment<\/em> at Gothenburg Theatre (2007).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ingeborga Dapkunaite (right) as Prince Myshkin and Roman Shalyapin as Nastassya Filippovna in the Moscow Idiot<\/em>. Photo Irina Polyarnaya<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Idiot<\/em> of young Russian director Maxim Didenko is an example of a choreographic approach to the plot. Made at the Theatre of Nations, one of Moscow’s gorgeous theatre houses, this show stylized \u201ccirque noir<\/em>\u201d with specific make-up and costumes. The main male character is played by the actress Ingeborg Dapkunaite, who discovers the transgressive nature of Prince Myshkin. Maxim Didenko studied psychological dramatic theatre in St. Petersburg and physical theatre in Dresden, where Anton Adassinsky had been working for several years. His way of making theatre is grounded in the eccentric nature of physical movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Katelijne Damen as Tiresias in the Dutch double bill of monologues. Photo: Kurt van der Elst<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The most common way to present a classical text is by adapting it to suit today’s reality. So, this Belgian version of the Antigone and Tiresias myths\u2014Antigone in Molenbeek<\/em> (Toneelhuis, Antwerp)\u2014is seen by director Stefan Hertmans and playwright Kate Tempest as the stories of two isolated persons who suffer from the repressive power of authority. Antigone stays behind her transparent glass cube filled with white powder, littering the floor by scooping from it and shouting her monologues. Tiresias, a 15-year-old boy, transforms into a woman because he feels himself to be a woman. The characters are surrounded by a live orchestra playing the music of Dmitri Shostakovich. They are struggling against authority oppression, defending the right to privacy and the right to bury their own brother. The point is that our modern multicultural society is not about political correctness but full of aggression and hate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Julia Windischbauer (left) as Queen Elizabeth and Franziska Machens as Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, in Mary Stuart<\/em>. Photo: Arno Declair<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mary Stuart<\/em>, based on Schiller, directed by Anne Lenk for Deutsches Theater Berlin, is a big-scale performance with a multi-functional, laconic set design, constructed as a net with separate sections, each of which can transform into a prison cell with red walls. Mary Stuart, who is about to be executed, is standing in a narrow prison so small that it looks like a claustrophobic space. Her \u201ccrime\u201d is not proved, but the machinery of execution cannot be stopped. This powerful person is faced with loneliness and isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In Una<\/em>, Eva Lyberten (left) looks back on what her life and career meant for her and for Spain. Mireia Tejero on sax. Photo: Silvia Poch<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Another piece in the program was about a woman who became the victim of her own media image and the expectations of her audience. UNA (One Woman), <\/em>directed by Raquel Cors and written by Dani Lacasa for Teatre Lliure (Barcelona), investigates the public and private life of Eva Lyberten, an icon of Spanish softcore of the 1970s-1980s. She plays the role herself, reminiscing about both her past and her image. The erotic movies in which she participated were examples of secret beauty and unacceptable desire, but her inner nature was hidden behind these glamorous iconic images. The core of the character is the contradiction between fiction and reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eszter \u00d3nodi as Nora untangles the festive lights in Nora, Christmas at the Helmers\u2019<\/em>. Photo: Horvath Judit<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A female character is also at the centre of Nora, Christmas at the Helmers\u2019<\/em>, directed by the young Hungarian director Kriszta Szekely (Katona Jozsef Theatre, Budapest). Ibsen’s famous play set a feminist agenda at the end of the 19th century. As time passed, step by step, woman\u2019s place in the world also changed. The question of gender equality is still one of the hot issues now. In Szekely’s production, we see a cozy home preparing for Christmas. We also see harassment of the wife, children, mutual recrimination and unhappiness. Where are the roots of this drama? Can we avoid it from the beginning of any relationship? Do we really need family as a lifestyle? What do we actually want now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stefanie Reinsperger as Grusche in The Caucasian Chalk Circle<\/em>. Photo: Matthias Horn<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Finally, in The Caucasian Chalk Circle<\/em>, based on Brecht and directed by Michael Thalheimer for the Berliner Ensemble, we see how important it is to keep hold of your personal humanity and empathy. Brechtian dialectic shows a conflict about the baby who was passed from one mother to another. When the revolution was over, the court tried to return the baby back to its original mother. But was this better? To be back to your natural mother even you do not remember her, or to stay with the one who saved you in your childhood? Michael Thalheimer created a very expressive and brave performance in which passions are openly displayed and, at the same time, intellectualized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All these productions are examples of big, well-made theatre with \u201cbig messages.\u201d There were no \u201cweak\u201d or at least non-perfect shows made by no-name persons. Just masterpieces or mainstream. It is relevant, probably, to the pre-pandemic theatre when budgets were big and the audience was grateful. Now, time has changed a lot. And I am waiting for no-name theatre pieces\u2014not masterpieces anymore, just honest, modest and critical art. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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*<\/a>Christine Matvienko<\/strong>, PhD, theatre critic and curator, works at the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre in Moscow. Curator (with Elena Kovalskaya) of the social magister program at the Russian State Theatre Institute (Moscow).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copyright \u00a9<\/strong> 2021 Christine Matvienko
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":239,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-performance-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2021\/05\/PER-MitosLessing-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":495,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/interview-with-heidi-wiley\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":0},"title":"Gender Equality and Diversity in European Theatres: Interview with Heidi Wiley","author":"Christine Matvienko","date":"May 26, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Elizabeth Sakellaridou* \u039fur five aims: to support sustainability, digital theatre, diversity and inclusion, participatory theatre and theatre for and with young peopleHeidi Wiley 2021 has been expected as a landmark in modern Greek history: it is the year of the bicentennial celebration of the Greek war of independence from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Interviews"","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2021\/05\/image5-3.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2021\/05\/image5-3.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2021\/05\/image5-3.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2021\/05\/image5-3.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":103,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/interview-with-zoltan-balazs\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":1},"title":"All my Life I Have Sought Freedom: Interview with Zolt\u00e1n Bal\u00e1zs","author":"Christine Matvienko","date":"May 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 by Tamara Susoi* Born in Cluj, Romania, in 1977, Zolt\u00e1n Bal\u00e1zs studied acting and directing at the University of Theatre and Film Arts, Budapest, Hungary. He participated in workshops with world famous directors and choreographers such as Anatoli Vasiliev and Josef Nadj in Avignon, and he also studied with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Interviews"","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2021\/04\/image5-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2021\/04\/image5-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2021\/04\/image5-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2021\/04\/image5-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":455,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/transnational-subjectivities-of-arab-artists-in-europe\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":2},"title":"Transnational Subjectivities of Arab Artists in Europe","author":"Christine Matvienko","date":"May 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Ruba Totah* Abstract In the last five years, hundreds of performing artists from Arab countries have been scattered throughout neighbouring countries and Europe. 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This does not necessarily mean going back to what was \u201cnormal\u201d before, but it could be different.Sarah Melin Established in 1994 as a biannual\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Interviews"","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2021\/05\/image8-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2021\/05\/image8-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2021\/05\/image8-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2021\/05\/image8-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":973,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237\/revisions\/973"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}