The Europe Now Brochure is out! Read about all the theatres and performances by clicking on this link here: bookletEN170x190_print

I Call My Brothers – Post Show discussion Thursday 25th April 2013 Arcola Tent (after the show).

Arcola Theatre in association with Riksteatern are proud to announce that Thursday’s performance of I Call My Brothers will be followed by a post show discussion with the writer Jonas Hassen Khemiri and director Farnaz Arbabi. They will also be joined by Rani Kasapi who will discuss the wider context of the play within the pan European project ‘Europe Now’ collaboration between five theatres across Europe (including Arcola Theatre and the producers of this show Riksteatern in Sweden). Jamie Arden (General Manager, Arcola) will be chairing the proceedings and taking questions and answers from the audience.

More info at: www.arcolatheatre.com/production/arcola/i-call-my-brothers

The production of I Call My Brothers by Swedish novelist and playwright Jonas Hassen Khemiri is coming to the Arcola Theatre in Dalston from 25-27 April. The play will be performed in Swedish with English surtitles, and there will be closed captions in English, Arabic and Swedish for anyone who needs them.

A crime is committed. A town paralysed with fear. The main character in this new play is lost in a landscape of paranoia trying to act as normal. But what is normal? Who is a potential criminal? And what happens when suspicious looks are cast towards yourself?

I Call My Brothers is a funny and angry debate on our prejudices against other people and each other. Nothing is what it seems to be. An everyday task ends up in a police hunt. A friendly wave is turned into a death threat. A phone call becomes a message from The Other Side. I become you, which becomes us.

The production is the Swedish contribution to the collaboration project Europe Now and is presented by Riksteatern and Malmö Stadsteater.

This performance will be captioned (subtitled) on a small display (on an iPod or your Smartphone) in Swedish, and in English or Arabic for those who require it.

You may borrow an iPod in the foyer before the show (there are 20 available) or you can download the app RiksText, free from your app store. This app is available for both iPhone and Android.

More information here.

Booking details:

Tel: 020 7503 1646  www.arcolatheatre.com
Dates: 25, 26 and 27 April at 8pm
Tickets: £14 (£12 concessions)
Venue: Arcola Tent (Arcola Theatre), 24 Ashwin Street, Dalston, London E8 3DL
How to get there. Map.

Many things happening at the same time now with the productions under the Europe Now project – which makes us very very happy!

This weekend, the Dutch production Elsewhere Land is performing at Ballhaus Naunynstrasse in Berlin.

Find out the dates and info here: www.ballhausnaunynstrasse.de

The 28th and 29th March, the German Europe Now production Beg your pardon will perform at Podium Mozaiek.

Read about the event here, and hope to see you in the audience: www.podiummozaiek.nl

To see the trailer, please visit: http://vimeo.com/41507895

Elsewhere Land is ready for Istanbul: visit them in Sisli Black Out on March 13th and 14th!
http://www.talimhanetiyatrosu.com/icerik.asp?IcerikID=150&L=1

http://www.theaterkrant.nl/recensie/eldersland/.

Here are some quotes out of the last paragraphs in that article:

In een fraaie, goed lopende tekst ontrolt zich zo een klassiek migrantenverhaal met een pikant tintje. De sterke familiebanden, het harde werken, de taalproblemen, de integratie, het komt allemaal voorbij.

In a beautiful, thriving text unfolds a classical immigrant story with a spicy touch. The strong family ties, hard work, the language problems, the integration; we see it all in this performance.

Eran Ben-Michaël is goed op dreef als de zoon en Marcel Faber is een mooie, geloofwaardige vader. Op het achtertoneel ontlokt Faber zo nu en dan melancholische klanken aan zijn klarinet. De regie van deze bescheiden productie is helder en legt de nadruk op het spel. […] Daar staan vele fraaie scènes tegenover zoals die waarin de zoon zijn halfzus voorstelt aan zijn moeder. De emoties lopen soms hoog op in Eldersland maar deze scène is juist fraai geserreerd.

Eran Ben-Michael is on good form as the son and Marcel Faber is a beautiful, believable father. In the background weoccasionally hear the melancholic sounds of Faber’s clarinet. The direction of this modest production is clear and focuses on the acting. […] There are many beautiful scenes, like the one in which the son introduces his half sister to his mother.Emotions sometimes run high in Elsewhere Land but this scene is just beautifully quiet.

NRC 27 February 2013

The Europe Now theatre festival aims to promote multicultural theatre in European cities. In Elsewhere Land,  Kasim is struggling with his identity.

By Joke Beeckmans

Amsterdam. ‘I’m an Amsterdam boy!’ Kasim calls out in Elsewhere Land by Theatergroep Rast. ‘For me, oranges grow in orange nets.’ He is a twenty-something who is torn between his life in Amsterdam and his mother’s wish to return to the family property in Turkey. Elsewhere Land is the Amsterdam contribution to Europe Now, a festival which aims to promote  multicultural theatre across Europe.

In an after-rehearsal talk at Podium Mozaïek, director Saban Ol calls Kasim’s story ‘archetypal’ of many young people living in European cities. ‘The children and grandchildren of those who came here during the great wave of immigration in the 1950s and 60s often live with this double identity. They speak four languages, are on Facebook, and go to Italy for the summer. But their parents still believe they should marry a Turkish girl and that they should be prepared to take care of them in their native country when they get old.’

But Ol sees very few Kasims on the Dutch stages. ‘55% of the people in Amsterdam have foreign roots. But when you look at the major theatre companies, this is clearly not reflected.’  To promote intercultural theatre, Theatre Rast and five other European theatres set up the theatre network Europe Now in 2011. Together they intend to reflect on the changing European identity, write new plays about the subject, and set up an exchange.

Using money from the European culture programme, the six theatres have each commissioned a new play about multicultural Europe. The Riksteatern in Stockholm, for example, presented a play about the increasing fear of Islam in Sweden, and the Ballhaus Nannynstrasse in Berlin created a political play about European immigration laws. Rast has approached playwright Anouk Saleming to write the Amsterdam contribution. In her play Elsewhere Land, Kasim inherits a plot of land in Turkey, which has been passed from father to son for generations. He doesn’t want to sell it, but he doesn’t want to live on it, either. The only thing the inheritance brings him is  confusion about his identity.

Saleming has zoomed in on one specific family. ‘But this modest story is representative of the bigger European themes. Many immigrants still possess a piece of land or a house in their country of origin.’ The author has drawn inspiration from the stories she was told by Ol and the mixed cast: Israeli-born Eran Ben-Michaël, Paulette Smit from Curaçao, and the Turkish-Dutch Robin Steegman.

The four actors will also be performing the play in Istanbul, London and Berlin. In May, Rast and Podium Mozaïek will be organising a Europe Now festival, during which four of the theatres in the network will be presenting their plays about the new Europe, and discuss them in a series of debates and talkshows.  Ol: ‘I’m very curious to see the stories from the other cities and to find out what form the theatre makers have chosen to present their stories.’

The director wants to use the festival to find out how Europe Now can get more theatres involved. ‘Europe is becoming unified and smaller,’ Ol believes, ‘people simply cannot stay tied to their own countries anymore.’

In January 2013, the performance PIPPA performed at the Arcola Theater in London. Here the performers share their experiences from that special occasion:

Ms. Burcu SEÇMEER

It’s an honour and truly happiness to be on stage as a actress in a country like England. And it’s absolutely a different energy to perform in such a country where everything has started since 14th century with very important writers, texts and actors. To meet those others who also performed in the Orient Express was also great, because we had a connection with Turkish speaking community, where the universality bonds with arts and we had a chance to experience that once again. You perform in a different country where you reach Turkish audience as well as other nationals at the same time. After the play, one member from the English audience came to me and said “Even though the play wasn’t in English I could fully understand your acting and the characters’ stories from your facial expressions”. That made me extremely happy as an actress and a human being because even though we all come from different religions, languages, cultures body and emotions language is very common. Actually we are ALL ONE and TOGETHER. I am so happy to take part in Pippa play which is part of Europe Now project. I have learned alot in every way since the project was led by workshops therefore we had to chance to develop, re-produce, change and transform this play as part of a process. I have seen the play’s different phases and the way its gone through. I have witnessed how such a difference can be with starting point and ending thoughout the journey we had and how that loaded us artisticly. On top of that, playing four different women characters made me able to work on four different acting experience in overall. I have given life to four different womens. I have loved each one of them and really enjoyed acting all. Our team was great. I love them all and I feel very lucky and privileged to work with all of them.

Ms. İpek TÜRKTAN KAYNAK

As an actress, having a chance to investigate a different culture is cultivating the imagination.
That’s why London was so inspiring for me. I have not only had a chance to see performances, rehearsals, a performance for kids, but also had an idea about the city’s architecture, museums.
All these experiences really braced me up about my own job.
Performing to the audience from a different culture was a great experience. Thank you very much to Arcola Theatre that they really entertained us in a large way.
Our journey with Pippa is about to finish now. Being a member of Europe Now project and in a way creating something collectivelly was great. As in the text development process I wish we had got in touch with eachother during the rehearsals, too. I would really like to see the other performances and wander about their process.

Bekir ÇİÇEKDEMİR

Our tour to London, UK went very well. We had two shows, we had a chance to get to know the city and the country. In that short period of time we did a lot. To perform in London was great. A different country and stage. Arcola welcomed us very warmly. We had a chance to tell our story to people who speak different languages. After the play, what we heard from audience was great, I felt really comfortable. I believe this project has really reached its aim now with touring to another country. And to think and plan it like this right from the beginning is the best thing. Pippa was very well known in Turkey and the rest of the world. But the characters within the play and their lifes still alien to other countries. I think Pippa’s and other characters’ stories, which is well integrated, made the audience excited about it and questioning and understandable…

We are glad to publish two texts written about the play Pippa in Turkish media. The first was published the 15th of October 2012 in Haberturk Newspaper in Istanbul:

Pippa’s mother explained

Pippa’s mother: I scruple from political experiency

Italian performance artist Pippa Bacca, whom has been murdered in Turkey, in now on stage as road stories. Elena Manzoni Di Chiosca, who is the mother of Pippa came to Istanbul for the official premiere said that she is so happy to see the activities such as to remember Pippa but she scruples from political experiency and ideological thoughts as shown as their point of view.

Italian performance artist Pippa Bacca, whom has started her “Peace Bride” journey on the 8th of March, World Women’s Days was ended dramatically on the 31st of March in 2008 in Turkey.

Bacca, who was raped and killed in a town called Gebze is now on stage by Talimhane Theatre which is based in Istanbul. Deniz Altun wrote the play and Lerzan Pamir directed. The actors are, Bekir Çiçekdemir, Burcu Seçmeer, İpek Türktan Kaynak and Kubilay Çamlıdağ

Four year after Pippa was murdered, Pippa’s life was on stage in an impressive senario. Mother of Pippa, Elena Manzoni Di Chiosca who attended the official gala said that “As a family we are so happy to to attend events about Pippa. This kind of projects always makes us grateful. These projects definitely a great support to what Pippa was trying to give as a message to the world. Her message was to nations, ethnicities and socities that they should have strong friendships which should always grow.”

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Another article published about the play by Sabah Newspaper the 13th October 2012:

Pippa on stage was supported by her mother

by Nurdeniz Erken

Italian performance artist Pippa Bacca started her “Brides Journey” four years ago on the 8th of March which was Worlds Women Day was ended brutally on the 31st of March 2008. Bacca’s journey which was planned as to go through Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine to Tel Aviv was ended in Gebze as she was raped and killed. Talimhane Theatre took Pippa’s journey to the stage in a very dramatic story.

“Europe Now” project which brings 5 European countries under the theme of Europe and emigration. Deniz Altun’s text was staged last year in different venues but didnt have an official gala until now. In the play, Bacca with her friend Silvia Moro want to set up a peace network while hitchhiking from Milano to Jerusalem and their journey cross with Ali Riza who leave Diyarbakir for Istanbul, the play is directed by Lerzan Pamir.

Penury and political reasons Kurdish Ali Riza who left for Istanbul meet Pippa is written by Deniz Altun. The writer has explained that in the writing process of the play she has reached and asked for help from Bacca’s mother and friends of the family in Istanbul. “I have reached Elena Manzoni di Chiosca through their family friends in Istanbul and she has given me very useful information” said Deniz Altun and she also mentioned that after being performed at different venues the official gala of the play will be receiving Pippa’s mother as a special guest. Altun said that “She being here with us at the gala makes the play honoured and makes the play special. The play will be touring to London and Amsterdam. In the play Pippa is played by İpek Türktan Kaynak and other characters played by Burcu Seçmeer, Bekir Çiçekdemir and Kubilay Çamlıdağ.