Theatre: The Männy

Just finishing an inspiring challenge with Kevin Rittberger, Nora Khuon and Sandra Fink at Schauspiel Hannover. ‘The Männy’, created with texts and themes from Donna Haraway’s work ‘Staying with the Trouble’, amongst others.
It was intense! My brain turning to mash reading and discussing theories and highly sensitive texts with five devoted actors, and a patient team. Everybody was open to the very end. Working so detailed through and inbetween each sentence with Kevin and Nora. And, open to dive with me into the rope world, learning some shibari, and navigating my rope installation through space as if it was another play partner. A sort of rhizom, air roots, or anarchically grown dendrites.
It wasn’t my first stage design with ropes, but the first in close collaboration with the workshop and technical department of the theatre. Using thousands of meters of jute and hemp. Feels.
And also the first time using rope juxtaposed and at the same time closely intertwined with 90 minutes poetic theoretical content, and developing it over the course of the evening.
The actors did a really good job. Telling an utopia involving plantoids. A kind of cyber biological connection between plants, insects and humans. Screaming of the shrinking population to safe our planet from dying (very roughly). Or for example other systems of ‘care’.
I much enjoyed searching for scenes/images, and developing a dance sequence with the actors. Opening up the more bodily dimension to them, and working through pain, muscle memory, nerves and endorphines. And, there was also the level of finding an approach together with Kevin, and get to know his work. Sometimes rough, often new but in the end productive I find. Yea, I’ d like to continue choreographing in this way, crossing over fields!

REGIE Kevin Rittberger BÜHNE Kevin RittbergerDasniya Sommer KOSTÜME Sandra Fink CHOREOGRAFIE Dasniya Sommer DRAMATURGIE Nora Khuon

Fabian Felix Dott Tabitha Frehner Anja Herden Torben Kessler Alban Mondschein

Big thanks to Vanessa Scarra and the supportive technical team of Ballhof 2!

Premier: February 21st, 2020
More dates: 3 + 19 + 29 März

10 meter in den wilden westen

Fond memories of Dennis Seidel’s / Meine Damen und Herren  western drama 10 Meter in den Wilden Westen early this year. A bunch of cowgirls, Nscho-tschi and a mare living in Dawsons Creek. Revenching my dead fam, and helping me hunt down this sneaky bitch Tatjana Thorns! 🤠
The rope scene didn’t make it to the final, but it was much fun to work it with Solène.
We remount the show in Mainz and Berlin this autumn.
Photos: Simone Scardovelli

 

Welt ohne Aussen – Berliner Festspiele

From July 25 – 30 performing with Peter Frost and his group Le Frau. Wrestling with special guest Anna Konda from Marzahn and her fem fight club. Ludmilla Skripkina reviving the feminist Russian revolution at Martin Gropius Bau.
Looking much forward to rope, dance, bewitch you!

The exhibition “Welt ohne Außen” features art works spanning from the late 60s to the present day, together with live works and workshops. For the first time, Gropius Bau is issuing passes that will give permanent access to the exhibition and all its activities, inviting visitors to explore all facets of the show and to actively participate in the daily workshop programme. Read more..