Why Theatre?
SCHOOL OF RESISTANCE: WHY THEATRE? A DIALOGUE WITH NORA CHIPAUMIRE AND CHANTAL MOUFFE
The fourth episode of School of Resistance starts off with a special speech: drawing from the 100 contributions that comprise the book Why Theatre?, a global polyphony of artistic voices make a strong case for theatre in emergency. Following the speech, the performance artist Nora Chipaumire and the political theorist Chantal Mouffe engage in a dialogue about their personal reflections on the state of the performing arts in 2020.
Nora Chipaumire is a choreographer and performer born in Zimbabwe and currently based in New York. With her work she challenges and embraces stereotypes of Africa and the black performing body. She is a Guggenheim fellow (2018) and three-time Bessie Award winner.
Chantal Mouffe is a Belgian political philosopher, especially known for her agonistic theory of democracy, currently teaching at the University of Westminster in London. Her last book, For a Left Populism, was published by Verso in 2018.
School of Resistance: Why Theatre? Thu 3 Sept at 6.30pm ETC online on ntgent.be or facebook.
WHY THEATRE? MILO RAU & VERBRECHER VERLAG
For two years now, Milo Rau together with the Belgian theatre NTGent and the Berlin based Verbrecher Verlag have been publishing the series The Golden Books: books on the theory and practice of contemporary performance art, on individual plays and general social questions. For the 5th volume, after months of cultural lockdown, when live arts were in a state of emergency and the whole institution rethought its priorities, Milo Rau, Carmen Hornbostel and Kaatje De Geest asked 100 of the most influential artists and intellectuals in the world the question: ‘Why theatre?’
Why is this art form so unique, so beautiful, so indispensable? From classical theatre to performance art and dance, from activism to political theatre and the performativity of everyday life, authors of all continents and generations delivered short essays, memories, manifestos, letters. Moments of aesthetic epiphany meet strong emotion, critical insights into the problems of representation and populism compete with utopian texts about the theatre of the future: 100 voices about the state of performing arts 2020. An instant encyclopedia of theatre for this and for any time.
Why Theatre? Golden Book V
Edited by NTGent (Kaatje De Geest, Carmen Hornbostel & Milo Rau)
380 pages, 16 €
To be published September 2020
“OREST IN MOSUL. THE MAKING OF” AT THE DUTCH THEATER FESTIVAL AND “THE NEW GOSPEL” AT THE VENICE FILM FESTIVAL.
Today Thursday, September 3, Milo Rau opens the Dutch Theatre Festival with a speech. Also on the occasion of the opening will be the premiere of “Orestes in Mosul. The Making Of” (director: Daniel Demoustier), which traces the research trips, rehearsals and performances of Rau’s “Orestes in Mosul”.
With “Orestes in Mosul”, which was celebrated by the international press and nominated for the German Theatertreffen among others, Milo Rau “created one of his perhaps most important works” (Jury of the Dutch Theatertreffen). “Can a Greek tragedy help to heal a scarred city,” the New York Times asked on the occasion of the rehearsals of “Orestes in Mosul”. It is one of the questions that was hotly debated in Mosul – and is at the center of Demoustier’s film.
Only three days later, on Saturday, September 6, Milo Rau’s long-awaited Jesus film “The New Gospel” celebrates its Italian premiere at the Venice Film Festival (co-production IIPM, Fruitmarket GmbH, Langfilm).