In the span of one month, IOTF streamed online and on-demand the work of 30 international theatre artists and companies, including Complicité, Frantic Assembly, National Theatre of Australia, Vakhtangov Theatre and Grand Teatre de Liceu, and such iconic productions as A Disappearing Number, Things I Know to Be True and The Blue Bird trilogy.
April 1 – April 30, 2019
Transcultural Collaboration Can Change The Game.
Open Fringe
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MAIN PROGRAMME
The International Online Theatre Festival
April 1 – April 30, 2019
Tea
Velina Hasu Houston’s Tea uses history and poetic writing to weave a drama about Japanese “war brides” living in Kansas.
Daak Ghar
Set in early 20th-century rural Bengal, Daak Ghar tells the story of Amal, a young boy with an incurable illness who gets caught up in the world outside of his window.
Carmen
George Bizet’s celebrated operá comique Carmen is performed in a lively, imaginative production by the company of the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Carmen’s controversial portrayal of realism and romanticism caused a stir in 19th-century France and has since established itself as an international opera house favorite.
See Rock City
Victory overseas results in unexpected consequences for May and Raleigh who are confronted with hidden truths, whilst dealing with the challenges of a new, post-war America. The sequel to Arlene Hutton’s Last Train to Nibroc, directed by Katharine Farmer, was captured live by Cinevative at the Rubicon Theatre Company in California.
Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette
In this groundbreaking take on William Shakespeare’s bittersweet tragedy, Hector Berlioz combines the playwright’s influence with all the musical drama of Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies.
Kis Kiss Ka Kissa
After an unexpected blackout during a party, seven friends are forced to question each other’s loyalty as secrets begin to unravel in the dark.
From Up Here
From Up Here is a new musical exploring what one’s life choices can mean and how we can affect other people without even realizing. This production, captured by Unveil Arts live at the Wilde Theatre, South Hill Park, was directed by Luke Sheppard and developed by Perfect Pitch. Contains strong language.
Baaki Itihaas
A timeless Bengali classic, Baaki Itihaas sees Sharad and Vasanthi question the events surrounding the death of a mutual acquaintance, forcing them to face the truth of their actions.
Adhe Adhure (Halfway House)
Savitri, a middle-aged woman, is dissatisfied with her circumstances and tries to find fulfillment in relationships outside of her marriage, only to realize that men are the same beneath different faces.
The Soap Myth
More than a half century after World War Two, at the desperate urging of a passionate survivor, a young investigative reporter finds herself caught between numerous versions of the same story. Played out against the backdrop of deadline reporting and journalistic integrity, the critically acclaimed The Soap Myth by Jeff Cohen questions who has the right to write history — and what is our responsibility once we know the truth?
The Blue Bird (Bliss)
The third and final part of Boris Yukhananov’s The Blue Bird trilogy sees Tyltyl and Mytyl conclude their search for the Blue Bird of happiness. This production was captured by the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre in Moscow and presented in partnership with Stage Russia HD, and features the reminiscences of Russian actors Vladimir Korenev and Aleftina Konstantinova.
The Blue Bird (Night)
Part two of Boris Yukhananov’s dazzling trilogy sees actors Vladimir Korenev and Aleftina Konstantinova weaving in and out of character as Tyltyl and Mytyl on the search for the Blue Bird of happiness. This production was captured by the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre in Moscow and presented in partnership with Stage Russia HD.
The Blue Bird (Journey)
Two children embark on a whirlwind adventure to find the Blue Bird of happiness in part one of Boris Yukhananov’s epic trilogy, based on Maurice Maeterlinck’s mystical play. This production was captured by the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre in Moscow and presented in partnership with Stage Russia HD, and features the reminiscences of Russian actors Vladimir Korenev and Aleftina Konstantinova.
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
A young mother is taken by the Intelligence Services for interrogation in this popular comedy that comes with a warning for the Facebook generation. This witty production was captured by Australian National Theatre Live at Sydney’s famous Ensemble Theatre.
Boichek
Based on Georg Büchner’s play, Woyzeck, this retelling follows the unfortunate Boichek who, after working tirelessly to earn a living, is pushed to his limits upon hearing rumours of his wife’s infidelity.
The Road to Mecca
When her husband dies, aging Miss Helen begins to fill her home in the remote South African bush with strange sculptures made from beer cans and old headlights. A local clergyman and a young woman visitor try to decide whether Miss Helen’s peculiar art is an outpouring of creativity or an outbreak of madness.
Babydoll
10BY10 is a project developed and produced by Eclipse Theatre – Britain’s leading black-led national touring company.
10 writers. 10 cities. 10 films. A homeless man walks the streets of Sheffield collecting ‘treasures’ amongst the litter.
We’re All Good
We’re All Good was directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna based on the play by Dorota Masłowska, commissioned by TR Warszawa and Berlin’s Schopenhauer am Lehniner Platz.The piece is a masterful exposition of the language of advertisements, glossy magazines, and tabloids; it confronts consumptionist dreams with the reality of a family living below the poverty line. All of this is merely a shell beneath which a more serious question lies: a question about the “us” in the title, about national identity, tradition, and memory.
Macbeth
The Shakespeare’s play, directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna, is set on an American military base in present-day Iraq. The televised version of the play was produced in 2006, just a month before the demolition of the Warsaw Waryński Factory complex, which had served as the stage for 2007: Macbeth ever since the play’s premiere. The pervasively claustrophobic interiors where the increasingly psychotic Macbeth spends his days strongly emphasized the liminal psychological condition of the protagonist.
The Land of Yes and the Land of No
Rafael Bonachela emerged as a leading dancer with Rambert Dance Company during the 1990s and in 2006 founded Bonachela Dance Company. Rafael is now artistic director of Sydney Dance Company. Rafael originally conceived the piece The Land of Yes and the Land of No, an emblematic integration of contemporary and classical dance, for a traditional theatre space. As an exclusive collaboration with HiBROW, Rafael took The Land of Yes and the Land of No outdoors, to the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral.
Things I Know To Be True
In this ambitious international collaboration, Frantic Assembly present Andrew Bovell’s heart-breaking depiction of family life. Captured live by Digital Theatre, Things I Know To Be True is co-produced by Frantic Assembly and State Theatre Company South Australia with Warwick Arts Centre, and in association with Chichester Festival Theatre and the Lyric Hammersmith.
A Disappearing Number
Winner of the 2008 Olivier Award for Best New Play, A Disappearing Number tells the true story of the extraordinary collaboration between Cambridge professor G.H. Hardy and self-taught mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. This production was devised by Complicité and directed by Simon McBurney.
(A)pollonia
Krzysztof Warlikowski’s (A)pollonia is based on classical and contemporary texts, primarily, excerpts from Euripides’ Alcestis, the Oresteia by Aeschylus, and Hanna Krall’s Pola. The erudite script also includes fragments of Jonathan Littell’s Les Bienveillantes, J.M Coetzee’s Elizabeth Costello, Rabidranath Tagore’s drama The Post Office, and more. By bringing together these texts, Warlikowski seeks to shed light on the ambiguous and somber history of sacrifice, and self-sacrifice – giving up one’s life for another – in particular. Stories of mythological characters ruled by Fate are complemented and reflected in twentieth-century experience with its helplessness in the face of the Holocaust. In the act of sacrifice, the executioner becomes no less important than the victim.
Dayglo
Developed in partnership with the Association of Medical Research Charities, the University of Ulster, the NHS Sickle Cell & Thalassaemia Screening Programme, and supported by the Wellcome Trust, Dayglo tells the story of two families impacted by illness.
THE OPEN FRINGE
The International Online Theatre Festival
April 1 – April 30, 2019
Pythonland
Pythonland depicts the Chinese “Genesis” mythology in a way that combines both traditional Chinese theatricality and modern physical presence. The play is divided into two parts: Amnesia and Pythonland. The first part tells the story of worldwide rain and blood narrated by a doctor on his journey to a patient. In the second part, the protagonist The Great General of Pythonland meets an old man and is told the story that has happened between them in their previous lives. (in Chinese)
Day of the Oprichnik
Day of the Oprichnik is a staging of an anti-utopia, sci-fi novel by Russian writer Vladimir Sorokin. The oprichnina was secret state police founded by Tsar Ivan the Terrible in Russia between 1565 and 1572. Oprichniks were engaged in mass repression, terror, public executions, killings, rape, confiscation of land and property and were above the law. (in Czech)
MACHO: Chronicles of Lost Identity
MACHO premiered in Malaga Theatre Festival, at Cervantes Theatre, Spain. In MACHO, we walk the journey of masculine identity construction. From childhood, adolescence, the discovery of sex and women, to violence, the relationship with other men and the feeling of belonging. (In Spanish).
Moms
The play Moms by Vladimir Zuev, is the winner of 5 international theater festivals. (in Russian)
Bladder Interrupted: A Self Story About Cancer
Mechele Leon wrote and stars in this personal story about getting cancer and losing a bladder, about chemotherapy and the fight to survive. Performed with props and puppets, music and audience participation, this solo show is an irreverent, self-mocking, and hilarious take on bladders, cancer, and living life without the “tank.”
5475 Scratches
Alternative micro-theatre play written and directed by Freya Treutmann, 5475 Scratches performance is based on the character of Sisyphus from Greek Mythology and explores the question of how our identity is shaped by our habits, our way of living. What happens if you suddenly lose a part of your identity you used to hate? The performance plays with a circularity of movement and repetition of rhythmic text, showing the ambiguity of a need for a routine and hate about not being able to make choices.
This post was written by The Theatre Times.
The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.