PRESS RELEASE PROSPERO _Extended Theatre gathers 10 partners - 9 theatres and one Media group (ARTE), from 9 countries of the Union. The project was built around a new dynamic of collaborations, synergies and relationships between the partners, their respective teams, the artists and the audiences around the redesign of the production and distribution of the shows.

THE PROJECT HAS THREE MAIN GOALS:

_ To imagine other principles, other developments for a more inclusive, more diversified European theatre creation, more connected to current societal issues;

_ Broaden the dissemination of theatrical works, in theatres and on the digital space, to reach new audiences;

_ Rethink the theatrical journey of audiences, from the initial discovery to the aftermath of the performance.

In this context of repeated crises, which confronts Europe with the need to convince its citizens, the partners intend to show that art and culture are a powerful force capable of stimulating creativity, exchange and cohesion. They believe that theatre, in particular, remains an essential place for dialogue, capable of creating real, direct, human encounters and of increasing our critical sense. Through their work, they wish to participate in the artistic and cultural development of Europe.

Thanks to the support of the Creative Europe programme, the partners, strengthened by their visibility at the European level and their openness to other continents, are able to pursue their research on the issues of theatre, media and creation, more particularly their evolution and modernization.

THE PARTNERS

Théâtre de Liège (lead partner – Belgique) supported by Wallonia-Brussels International Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione (Modena– Italia) São Luiz Teatro Municipal (Lisboa – Portugal) Göteborgs Stadsteater (Göteborg - Sverige) Hrvatsko narodno kazalište u Zagrebu (Zagreb – Hrvatska) Teatros del Canal – Comunidad de (España) Schaubühne Berlin (Deutschland) Teatr Powszechny (Warszawa – Polska) Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe ( – France) ARTE THREE RESEARCH CLUSTERS

1. Creation and co-production

_ 9 original theatre creations, chosen at unanimity; Each one is accompanied by one of the partners; _ Premiere of the show at the partner’s venue, and tour to 2 other cities, for a minimum of 2 performances each time; _ Translation of each show for the surtitling in the 7 other languages of the project + English; _ Recording of each show, provided by the main partner.

Prospero will pay attention to the following criteria when selecting funded and supported performances: _ The talent and high standards of the authors, directors and actors, whether they are experienced or beginners; _ The proposed dramaturgical and/or scenic research (unpublished texts, diversification of creation and rehearsal practices, inclusion of digital technologies, etc.); _ The current relevance of the topics addressed; _ Attention given to contemporary aesthetic issues.

2. Platform and digital content

_ Development of a paid content OTT distribution platform – Model to be defined (SVOD, VOD, PVOD); _ Broadcasting of the shows on the platform + surtitling in the 7 other languages of the project + English; _ Creation of additional content linked to the productions (interviews, behind the scenes, trailers, augmented content, etc.).

The audience development is enhanced by the availability of the works on the digital space, where the capacity is no longer limited to that of the theatre. The additional content offers, for example: interviews, documentaries, recordings of rehearsals or the creation of costumes and sets, educational files, video clips produced by actors or spectators, podcasts, etc. It will facilitate the access to new contemporary theatre practices for audiences unfamiliar with this form of expression.

3. Audience development

_ Audience research based on customer data analysis (GDPR compliant); _ Development of tools to reach other audiences (workshops, modules, etc.) and methods to include the audience in the creative process to create bonds with the artists and give them feedback. REMINDER

The project “PROSPERO - Extended Theatre”, supported by the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission (2014-2020), is a continuation of the “European Theatre Network” project supported by Europe from 2008 to 2012. PROSPERO has continued its work and has helped to support productions by, among others, Thomas Ostermeier, Teatro Praga, Katie Mitchell, Bobo Jelčić, Angelica Liddell, Milo Rau, Christine Letailleur, Anne-Cécile Vandalem, among others.

“PROSPERO - Extended Theatre” is a challenge to artists, professionals and spectators, another way of addressing the very question of possible European identity: a certain culture of openness. CO-PRODUCTIONS SELECTED BY PROSPERO (SEASON 2021/2022) _

FRATERNITÉ, Conte fantastique by Caroline Guiela Nguyen (Brotherhood, A Fantastic tale)

« Ton cœur, je l’ai rapporté dans ton corps Je l’ai mis pour toi à sa place. » “Your heart, I brought it back into your body I set it for you in its place.” © Matias Alonso Revelli

As the French poet François Villon once sang: “Human brothers, you who live after us...”. A pervasive sense of human brotherhood runs through Caroline Guiela Nguyen’s new project. In Saigon (presented at the Ateliers Berthier in 2018 and 2019), she retraced its past; she now explores its future. The plot stretches into the next century and plays out in several languages. An inexplicable catastrophe has wiped out part of humanity, forcing those who didn’t disappear to support each other and to confront the common mystery… “The time is out of joint”. Together – bearing witness in the name of the missing, consoling those who miss them, preparing the memory of a century that is yet to come – the remaining humans try to preserve a sense of history. What will their legacy look like? Bringing together (in her customary way) professionals and amateurs from different backgrounds, Caroline Guiela Nguyen began her investigation by collecting signs of the future that might already be deciphered in our time, as she strived to invent a theatrical “memory and mourning centre”, an “empathetic place” where some “thinking for humans and by humans” could take place. An image has guided her as a compass throughout this new creative journey: the stars in our sky may already be extinct, but the constellations they form “remain as bright as ever for our human retinas”. Premiere 6 July 2021 in Festival d’Avignon

Cast Dan Artus, Saadi Bahri, Boutaïna El Fekkak, Hoonaz

Ghojallu, Maïmouna Keita, Nanii, Elios Noël, Alix Petris, Braun Manuel © Saaphyra, Vasanth Selvam, Anh Tran Nghia, Hiep Tran Nghia, Mahia Zrouki Text by Caroline Guiela Nguyen and the whole artistic team Artistic collaborator Claire Calvi Sets Alice Duchange Costumes Benjamin Moreau Lighting Jérémie Papin Sound Antoine Richard Video Jérémie Scheidler Dramaturgy Hugo Soubise, Manon Worms Music Teddy Gauliat-Pitois, Antoine Richard Production Les Hommes Approximatifs, with Festival d’Avignon Coproduction Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe, ExtraPôle Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, La Comédie – centre dramatique national de Reims, Théâtre national de Bretagne, Théâtre national de Strasbourg, Châteauvallon scène nationale, Théâtre de l’Union – centre dramatique national du Limousin, Théâtre Olympia – centre dramatique national de Tours, MC2: Grenoble, La Criée Théâtre national de Marseille, Le Grand T théâtre de Loire-Atlantique, Théâtre des Célestins, La Comédie de Colmar – centre dramatique national Grand Est Alsace, La rose des vents – scène nationale Lille Métropole Villeneuve d’Ascq, Le Parvis Tarbes Pyrénées, Théâtre national de Nice, Théâtre du Beauvaisis – scène nationale International coproduction Prospero – Extended Theatre (co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union), Théâtre national Wallonie-Bruxelles, Théâtre de Liège, Les théâtres de la ville de Luxembourg, Centro dramatico nacional – Madrid, Dramaten – Stockholm, Schaubühne – Berlin, Théâtre national Dona Maria II – Lisbonne, Thalia – Hambourg, Festival Romaeuropa With the support of the DGCA (French Culture Ministry), the Jeune Theatre National and the Institut Français / Paris

Biography

Caroline Guiela Nguyen is a French author, playwright, film and theatre director. After completing her studies, she founded her company, Les Hommes Approximatifs in 2009. Caroline Guiela Nguyen invites non-professional or professional actors from different social, geographical, cultural and spiritual backgrounds to take part in her creations, so that « worlds meet and we invent, together, a common ground. ». Among her creations with the company: Se souvenir de Violetta (2011), Ses Mains, Le bal d’Emma (2012), Elle brûle (2013), Le Chagrin (2015), Mon grand amour (2016). The company’s latest creation, Saigon (2017), has toured in France and fourteen other countries, with great acclaim wherever it went: Shanghai, Berlin, Stockholm, ... With Fraternité, contes fantastiques, Caroline Guiela Nguyen and her company have now entered a new cycle of creative research. The first tale is a film, which she shot with the inmates of the Central Prison of Arles, in the south of France (autumn 2019). The second and third tales are theatre projects, to be created in 2021 and 2022, in close collaboration with French, European and international partners. Caroline Guiela Nguyen has been an associate artist at the Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe since 2016.

Prospero tour – FRATERNITÉ, Conte fantastique Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe (Paris, France) – From 16 September to 17 October 2021 Théâtre de Liège (Belgium) – From 15 to 18 December 2021 · With the support of Wallonia-Brussels International Schaubühne Berlin (Germany) – 4 & 5 April 2022 São Luiz Teatro Municipal (Lisbon, Portugal) – 26 & 27 April 2022

Prospero tour – FRATERNITÉ, L’Enfance, la Nuit (play no. 2) Schaubühne Berlin (Germany) – World premiere in 2022 Teatros del Canal (Madrid, Spain) – Fall 2022 or Winter 2022/2023 The Silence by Dead Centre

Ingmar Bergman’s scandalous film – onstage for the first time ever. © Aorta

Anna and Ester, sisters with a difficult relationship, are on their way home to Sweden with Johan, Anna’s young son. Ester falls ill and they are forced to interrupt their journey in a foreign country on the border of Europe. They find themselves in the fictional city of Timoka, a mysterious place where the locals speak a language they do not understand.

The country seems to be on the verge of a civil war. Meanwhile, another conflict rages in the hotel between the two sisters, as they desperately try to make sense of their surroundings and of themselves. Left on his own, the child wanders the hotel corridors, meeting the other guests and weaving together fragments of the adults’ enigmatic world.

The Silence is an alluring and sorrowful allegory of humanity’s helplessness. An exploration of boundaries, language, sexuality, closeness, submissiveness, dominance, guilt and freedom. The Silence is an outcry for understanding.

Known for their eccentric aesthetics, the highly praised Irish theatre company Dead Centre gently updates the story to our own time and, with the help of filmmaker Grant Gee’s live-video design, they unexpectantly filter the story entirely through the child’s point of view.

”We want to capture the atmosphere of desolation and of loneliness, the yearning for communication as in Bergman’s film. But we make it speak to a contemporary audience so we situate The Silence in today’s European political context. The sisters have the privilege of being able to leave the fictional city of Timoka whenever they choose, an impossibility for the local population”, says Bush Moukarzel, co-director with Ben Kidd. © Lukas Beck

Premiere 5 November 2021 in Göteborgs Stadsteater

By Ingmar Bergman Filmscript adaptation Mark O’Halloran with Dead Centre Translation Joel Nordström Direction Dead Centre Design Jeremy Herbert Costume design Maja Kall Light design Max Mitle Sound design Kevin Gleeson Composer Kevin Gleeson Video direction Grant Gee Dramaturges Ben Kidd and Joel Nordström With Mia Höglund-Melin, Sandra Redlaff, Christer Fjellström, Ramtin Parvaneh and others Publisher The Ingmar Bergman Foundation (original filmscript)

Biography

Dead Centre are one of the most successful Irish theatre companies of recent years, They have created five shows independently in Dublin, most recently the hugely acclaimed Beckett’s Room (“Devastating” – Independent on Sunday). Their work – including LIPPY and Chekhov’s First Play - has toured to over 20 different countries, including to BAM in New York, Schaubüne in Berlin, ITA in Amsterdam, and the Young Vic in London, as well as playing in Hong Kong, St Petersburg, Boston, Brisbane, and throughout the world. Their shows have won multiple awards including Irish Times Award for Best Production, 2 OBIEs, and a Fringe First. As well as their independent work, they have made projects at Schaubühne, Berlin (Shakespeare’s Last Play, 2018) and BurgTheater, Vienna, where their most recent project The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud premiered in 2020, and remains in the repertoire.

Prospero tour – The Silence Göteborgs Stadsteater (Sweden) – World premiere on 5 November 2021, performed until 4 December Théâtre de Liège (Belgium) – 28 & 29 April 2022 · With the support of Wallonia-Brussels International Hrvatsko narodno kazalište u Zagrebu (Croatia) – September 2022 (dates tbd) Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione (Modena, Italy) – 15 & 16 October 2022 Teatr Powszechny (, Poland) – 2022 (dates tbd) IMAGINE 2 by

An extract from Krystian Lupa’s journal © Natalia Kabanow Natalia ©

John Lennon… He has just been murdered… Or was it many years ago?

Or maybe we are witnesses to a different murder, strangely similar, nay! Almost identical, exactly the same as that one in front of Dakota’s door?

There is a wake, or maybe it is just a meeting of old dreamer friends that is like a wake...? One of us prepared a PERFORMANCE for this occasion... LET’S TELL EACH OTHER EVERYTHING THAT WE COULD HAVE DONE AND THAT WAS ABANDONED... Is it only a wake, an attempt at grasping what died with premature death of the New Age in a way sometimes precise and sometimes extremely subjective, like in a narcotic vision? And is it only naivety and spiritual arrogance of the usurpers and prophets of the new humanity…? Or maybe it is a new founding act, a meeting where everyone has the duty to reveal a piece of their secret world and even the most shameful part of their project…

Lennon’s death met with the beginning of the end of the New Age in a peculiar way and for a decade it had a religious dimension. Lennon, drawn to America with New Age, with pacifism growing like moss during the Vietnam War led by our fathers, „the living dead of an old humanity” k he became or wanted to become, even for a moment, a Warholian 15 minutes, a face, a deity of the New Age…

The mysterious connections of feminism and intuition, that it all has to start with a deep reconstruction of man and its system of values… Mysterious connections of feminism and ecology, as intuition that our planet will be devastated until it becomes a part of the new human, this new system of values of © Magda Hueckel

a religious dimension… Where tolerance and a new vision of perception of human gender will be closely connected to the new purpose of humans, an inhabitant of a planet called EARTH.

Who are the people at this wake that may have never met or maybe they were friends only by the affinity of their dreams…? Andy Warhol, Thomas Bernhard, Caspar Hauser, Carl Gustav Jung, Sylvia Plath, Albert Einstein, Marilyn Ferguson – the media and creators of new human’s visions… This is only a group of random names initiating the search of a mental and literary matter entwining or penetrating this topic…

Premiere 27 February 2022 in Teatr Powszechny, Warsaw

With the actors of the ensemble of Teatr Powszechny

Biography

Krystian Lupa – renowned Polish theatre director, set designer and writer, considered as the one of the greatest European directors. His last works are “Capri – the Island of Fugitives” in Teatr Powszechny in Warsaw (2019) and “Austerlitz” in Meno Fortas Theatre in (2020). Lupa is a master at creating internally coherent stage realities. He often translates and adapts the texts which he stages, simultaneously designing the scenery and directing these productions. The quality of Lupa’s theatre derives from strong acting, which is often deemed “invisible” or “transparent”, made so by actors who unite almost completely with the characters they play. He was awarded with numerous prominent awards which include Leon Schiller Award (1992), Europe Theatre Prize (2009), Nestroy Theatre Prize (2014), Golden Cross of the Stage Award (2016).

Prospero tour – Imagine 2 Teatr Powszechny (Warsaw, Poland) – World premiere in February 2022 São Luiz Teatro Municipal (Lisbon, Portugal) – Spring 2023 (tour tbc) Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe (Paris, France) – Between January and June 2023 (tour tbc) Teatros del Canal (Madrid, Spain) – Season 2022/2023 (dates tbd) Théâtre de Liège (Belgium) – 2023 (dates tbd) The woman who stood by Bobo Jelčić © Neja Markičević / HANZA MEDIA

In his new project, Bobo Jelčić will try to give a fresh perspective on the perils of todays, concentrating on endangerment of the individual in the pandemic/post-pandemic world. In this project, Jelčić will focus on the emotional and social issues. He will continue his exploration of the presentation types in theatre. What is the basis of the scene emotion? How is one to express this emotion? Is the theatre entitled to emotions or expressions of emotions? Is the right way exactly the opposite, to suppress the emotion and allow it to resurface in a different manner? In the case of the emotional, the starting points for theatrical re-imagination will be the Korean filmThe Woman Who Ran. The other approach would focus more on the social endangerments, thematizing the impact of society rules on the individual. The starting point would be Sorry We Missed You, a film directed by Ken Loach.

Jelčić is not interested in the result, but in the proceeding – the actors in his plays do not question the possibility of reproducing reality, but of freezing moments of everyday life, moments bearing traces of the actors’ personal stories as well as of those of the characters they are playing. Such acting eliminates all differences between the active and the passive, and annuls the imperative of following determined models or views. Theatre thus becomes elusive, extended, or disseminated into reality, and vice versa. There never exists a single perspective, a single reading, a single ideology, a single solution, subject, centre, or periphery. © Sandra Simunovic/PIXSELL Sandra ©

Premiere May 2022

With the actors of the ensemble of Hrvatsko narodno kazalište u Zagrebu

Biography

Bobo Jelčić was born in 1964 in Mostar. In 1990, he graduated stage directing from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb. He also works as a professor of acting at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb.

He has staged plays by Büchner, Gogol, Chekov, Ionesco… In collaboration with Nataša Rajković, Jelčić has co-directed Observations (CNT in Varaždin), Slowing Down and Insecure Story (&TD in Zagreb). In his authorial projects, he often uses actors’ improvisations as dramatic material, blending elements of documentary and fiction.

Bobo Jelčić is one of the most prominent Croatian stage directors. He directed plays in all the major theatres in Croatia, as well as theatres in Germany, Switzerland and . He won numerous awards for his theatre projects, including the awards at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, the Wiener Festwochen and the International Theatre Festival in Sarajevo. Her performances were presented all around the world: Paris (Festival d’Automne), Lille, Berlin (coproduction HAU), (Festival Helsinki), , Freiburg, , Ljubljana, Beograd. So far he also directed three feature films.

Prospero tour – The woman who stood Hrvatsko narodno kazalište u Zagrebu (Croatia) – World premiere in May 2022 (dates tbd) Théâtre de Liège (Belgium) – Season 2022/2023 Teatros del Canal (Madrid, Spain) – Season 2022/2023 CONTACT DETAILS

Théâtre de Liège, lead partner of the Prospero network

Project leadership Serge RANGONI – Lead partner

Overall coordination of the project François LE PILLOUER – Network coordinator Jonathan THONON – European project coordinator

[email protected] +32 4 220 59 56 www.prospero-theatre.eu