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Initiated by the platform culture
central europe, hosted by the Hellenic EU-Presidency,
the theatrical performance MINDSCAPE brought together
most famous groups, actresses and actors from 7 European
countries, right into the heart of Athens, into the
Roman Agora. Emphasizing the original function of the
Roman Agora the performance was staged as a market place,
and became a market place of theatre. The objects of
trading however were scenes made out of thoughts, interpretations,
dialogues and confrontations, dealing with the theme
“biography”. All in all the audience experienced
a marvel of movements and images, a theatrical performance
particularly designed for the occasion and the Roman
Agora, in a setting never seen before.
MINDSCAPE focused on the fascinating theatrical and
cultural heritage Central European countries have offered
the world in the Twentieth Century. It was a tribute
to the diversity of European landscapes and the mindscapes
of it’s people. With MINDSCAPE the platform culture
central europe continued introducing the joining countries
of Central Europe, featuring Europe’s cultural
spirit, contributing to a dialogue and to a cultural
partnership within Europe.
The acts
“The audience - or rather the participants - were
welcomed at the reception by an actor and were invited
to take a theatrical walk around the marketplace, attending
small scenes. The different scenes or leitmotifs were
performed all at the same time but in different areas
of the Agora. A common “spirit” was created:
the audience walking, talking and artists performing,
shouting or dancing, accompanied by live music and light”,
according to Mr. Beda Percht, the artistic director
of MINDSCAPE.
At a special moment the “Table of Friendship”
was revealed by the actors giving time for talking,
reflecting and refreshing with water, wine and bread,
offered to the audience while awaiting the finale –
a theatre of movement and images to the powerful live
performance of the French composer Thierry Zaboitzeff,
set to light by the Greek designers from Orama.
The conceptual background
The main source of inspiration was the work
of the polish director Jerzy Grotowski. The project
interpreted his teachings as personally rooted expressions
of an underlying universal creative process. Grotowski’s
most influential work circled around the „Poor
Theatre“ having inspired many of the theatrical
movements in the 1960s and 1970s, such as Julian Beck’s
Living Theatre in New York, Eugenio Barba´s OdinTtheatre
or Peter Brook. Grotowski also developed the „Paratheater“
or as he called it „project-events“ and
„active culture“ , a form we today refer
to as „events“. The work of Jerzy Grotowski
is loosely rooted in developments that had long since
existed in Central Europe and finally led to the foundation
of the Actor’s Studio in Hollywood, where with
the most influential method actors like Marilyn Monroe,
James Dean, Robert de Niro and Dustin Hoffman were trained.
Basic contributions to the movements of Dadaism and
Surrealism were made by Central European artists such
as philosophers, writers, painters and photographers.
And in fact the mastermind Guillaume Apollinaire was
born by a polish mother.
The method
The actors have been invited to prepare their scenes
for the Theatrical Walk using the method of Grotowski
(Poor Theatre). They work on the general theme biography,
their own biography in combination with the biography
of a theatrical person of interest from their country.
In the process of the rehearsal, starting 10 days before
the event, they will meet for the first time and develop
the performance on the spot at the Roman Agora.
The performers
Austria Ensemble Cataracts
Czech Republic M.U.T. (Marek Metejka and Katerina Duskova)
Greece Myrto Dimitriadou
Hungary Artus Company
Poland Cogitatur Theatre
Slovakia Phenomenon Theatre
Slovenia Snjezana Premus
The team
Concept/artistic director Beda Percht
Choreography Sandra Hofstötter
Production design Janett Sumbera
Sound/composition Thierry Zaboitzeff
Public relations Annelies Vilim
Teilnehmerzahl / Besucher: appr. 950
visitors in three days
Veranstalter: ´The theatrical
performance MINDSCAPE was realised within the framework
of the platform culture central europe, which was created
on the first conference of the “Regional Partnership”
by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Austria, the
Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia
in June 2001. The platform aims to be a forum for cultural
dialogue and projects in order to complement the bilateral
and multicultural cooperation with activities founded
on common Central European traditions and interests.
Partners:
MINDSCAPE was financed by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs
of Austria, co-financed by the Ministries for Foreign
Affairs of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia
and Slovenia and the Prince Programme of the European
Commission and realised in cooperation with their Athens
embassies. MINDSCAPE is supported by the Central Archaeological
Council, Athens, the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and takes place
under the auspices of the Hellenic EU - Presidency.
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