project managing collaboration
An International Theatre Project of the National Theatre of Greece, Teatro Garibaldi, Habima National Theatre of Israel, National Theatre of Prague, Hungarian Theatre of Cluj and Schauspielhaus Graz.
Europe as an “emergency entrance“ represents the topic of this co-operation between the national theatres in Prague, Athens and Tel Aviv, as well as the municipal theatres in Palermo, Cluj and Graz. Teams of artists – theatre and movie directors, professional and laymen actors, musicians and video artists – spent several months researching current questions on migration in their respective countries. They worked together with refugees, representatives of ethnic minorities, young and old, male and female “sans papiers” from Eastern Europe and Africa. The rules of documentary theatre agreed on stated that research was to be part of the rehearsal process and was to be focused on current human tragedies. It aims to be an investigation of an unknown present. It should examine its limitations – but also process its utopian leaps.
Six plays, entirely different in their aesthetics and contents, were thus created: experimental, funny, highly emotional, grotesque or tranquil. All of them show personal witness of truth, and young artists from Fortress Europe and Israel position themselves as citizens of their respective cities, their countries or their communities of states.
