The European Theatre Festival Eurothalia, organised by the German State Theatre Timişoara, continues with the performances
“Much Ado about Nothing“, creation, direction and interpretation: David Espinosa, Production: El Local E.C./Festival Clásicos en Alcalá/C.A.E.T. Terrassa (Spain)
Tuesday, 11 October 2016 and Wednesday, 12 October, at 6,00 pm
in the studio hall of the Hungarian State Theatre „Csiky Gergely” Timişoara
“Staying alive”, concept and direction: Ana Vallés, production: Matarile Teatro, AGADIC (Spain)
Tuesday, 11 October, at 8,30 pm
in the hall of the German State Theatre
and “The Fire Raisers“ by Max Frisch, directed by Gábor Tompa, production: German State Theatre Timişoara
Wednesday, 12 October 2016, at 8,30 pm
in the hall of the German State Theatre.
The creation of David Espionas questions the idea of performance by exploring the limits of theatre. With a critical spirit, full of irony, directed to the society and the theatre world, he tries to develop a formal game that surprises the audience. About “Much Ado about Nothing“ David Espinosa explains the following: “We set out to create a large scale show, developing all the ideas that turned up however expensive they were, with unlimited equipment and artists. But obviously with one small detail: everything would be in miniature. The challenge was, on the one hand to achieve a performable work of this size, and what we would do if we really could work under these conditions, and on the other hand to question this megalomaniac creative artistic model which suffers very high budgets, whose real value and contribution to the performing arts can rarely be proven. And this last point is what brings us back to “Much ado about nothing. [...] We emphasised the critical point of view of the monumental works which are very ornate but lacking in content, very gimmicky and dishonest works where the large dimension seems to justify its value and artistic interest, but from the eyes of a humble artist they are a waste of money, easy resources, and time.”
Matarile Teatro is a contemporary theatre company that was founded in 1986 by Ana Vallés and Baltasar Patiño. “Staying alive” is an a adaptable performance and can therefore be presented in unusual environment. About the play Ana Vallés explains the following: “In Staying alive we draw on the meaning of the title itself: we carry on living, we keep ourselves alive. From the worst possible Europe. Despite the fear, or indeed above it - that uncertain fear that we are currently experiencing in Europe, especially those in the southern part of the continent. On the basis of how difficult is to see what we have right before our eyes, the need arises for us to ask ourselves what our place in the world is.[...] That which is insinuated or suggested is more important than that which is stated or demonstrated. [...] We operate through emotions. Emotions lead us to take actions. Let’s take action, why not? Plants, which are devoid of emotions, never make mistakes. And as Roberto Bolaño once said: «The world is alive and nothing that lives has a solution.”
Directing “The Fire Raisers” is attributed to Gábor Tompa, making this his first staging at the GSTT. Set and light design are done by Helmut Stürmer, costumes by Carmencita Brojboiu. ”The Fire Raisers” parable – entitled in subtitle as “a didactic play without a moral” – speaks of the failure of the common man to take action against an imminent threat: strangers show up one by one in the cosmetics producer Biedermann house.The grotesque comic and the critical accents accompany the action’s development towards an outcome, which with each step becomes inevitable. The lack of reaction on behalf of the lead character was sometimes interpreted as a reflection on the conduit the allowed the ascension of a dictator such as Adolf Hitler.
Andreea Andrei
Press officer
