Theaterformen festival in Braunschweig has begun and runs until June 28. It presents experimental theater in unusual venues, including the former Rennelberg prison (JVA). This is the last edition under the direction of artistic director Anna Mülter.
For the opening at the Große Haus of the Braunschweig State Theater, Portuguese choreographer Diana Niepce presented a mix of acrobatics and dance. The dancers moved on an unstable, swaying floor. Mülter described the piece as “a post-apocalyptic universe where bodies at the limits of gravity try to find a foothold in a system. But they simultaneously fight against this system because it also oppresses them.”
The Brazilian amateur theater group “Mexa” stages the “Reality Show” – inspired by television formats where people must get along in confined spaces. The performers met in a homeless shelter in São Paulo. Mülter explained that the group processes the experience of living together in tight quarters, where conflicts arise and people come and go.
A total of nine productions from drama, dance, and performance are featured at Theaterformen. The “Circus Baobab” from French Guinea addresses the fight against genital mutilation and gender stereotypes. Chilean director Manuela Infante brings the bones of murdered regime opponents of the Pinochet dictatorship back to life musically. Mülter emphasized that the artists tackle tough topics, but with humor and “very diverse versions of a different future.”
Source: www.ndr.de
