Festival International New Drama 2024
from 18 to 28 April
We are delighted to welcome you to the Festival International New Drama (FIND). From 18 to 28 April 2024, the FIND is showcasing contemporary theatre from around the world: new texts and productions as well as devised plays and documen- tary projects, by both renowned artists and groups previously unknown to us.
You can download the FIND 2024 program newspaper as a PDF here.
ARTIST IN FOCUS
The FIND is once again highlighting the work of an artistic personality with its Artist in Focus. This edition is dedicated to the British playwright and director Alexander Zeldin (London / Paris) who had his interna- tional breakthrough with »The Inequalities«. In this trilogy of plays, Zeldin has created a triptych of British society in the age of a social security system devastated by politics. Following »Beyond Caring« and »LOVE«, the third part is now being presen- ted at the FIND: »Faith, Hope and Charity« (London) taking place in a community centre which is threatened with closure—but which remains a place of solidarity. In his most recent production »The Confessions« (London / Paris), Zeldin explores down his mother’s biography and paints a picture of a personal and political emancipation. In addition, Zeldin’s own film adaptation of his play »LOVE« will be screened for the first time in Germany, followed by a work- shop discussion with the artist offering a deeper look into background and context of his work.
NTERNATIONAL PANORAMA
For the first time at the FIND, this year’s edition is presenting three productions in Portuguese. And, particularly considering the festival’s dates, the works will carry a historical resonance: during the FIND,
on 25 April 2024, the 50th anniversary of the »Carnation Revolution« of 1974 will be celebrated, which heralded both the end of the last fascist regime in Europe and of European colonialism in Africa. But, half a century on, what remains of those utopias of democratic change? And what future do they have in the age of a racist global shift to the right and Europe’s deliberate self-isolation from the migration flows?
»Catarina e a beleza de matar fascistas« (Lisbon) by the writer and director Tiago Rodrigues engages with Portugal’s anti-fascist legacy in the form of a grotesque fable. A family who resisted the regime has developed a ritual: »the beauty of killing fascists« in which one specimen is caught every year and shot dead. But resistance to this violence is suddenly stirring within their own ranks. What will become of their heroic tradition? And what happens when a new fascism exploits precisely this humanism as a weakness?
Meanwhile, in »Pêndulo« (Lisbon), Marco Martins traces the relics of Portuguese colonialism in the present. Collaborating with his protagonists and co-writers who come from the former colonies in Africa and Latin America and now work as carers and cleaners in Portugal, he creates a panorama of a society caught in the movement of the eponymous pendular movement of commuting.
And from Brazil, which is still struggling to come to terms with its own patriarchal colonial legacy, »Manifesto Transpofágico« (São Paulo) by and with Renata Carvalho throws light on the reality of life for »travestis« who are threatened with violence on a daily basis.
In »Not One of These People« (Québec / London), a key writer of contemporary drama is returning to the Schaubühne: Martin Crimp. And this time round, he is not only the playwright but also the performer, directed by Christian Lapointe. On stage, Crimp activates, through a live deepfake system, video statements made by people generated by artificial intelligence.
With »Il Capitale—un libro che ancora non abbiamo letto« (Bologna), the Italian collective Kepler-452 attempts to stage Marx’s »Das Kapital« (Capital). Ironically, it is based on a book that the occupiers of the factory in Italy have never read. The play is based on a recent occurrence and raises questions about the relevance of the class struggle and its representation on stage.
With »Моя маленькая Антарктида (My Little Antarctica)« (Komsomolsk-on-Amur / Lyon), the KnAM theatre from Russia explores the repressed origins of their hometown at the easternmost end of the country in the deportations of the Gulag. Having fled to France following the Russian attack on Ukraine, the group continues to trace from exile the haunting continuity of violence in Putin’s Russia in a reworked version of their play—which was originally scheduled to be shown during the cancelled FIND 2020.
NEW DRAMA AT THE SCHAUBÜHNE
In addition to the international guest performances, productions of new drama from the current repertoire featuring the Schaubühne ensemble can also be seen at the FIND 24. As part of the focus on Alexander Zeldin, we are presenting his production of »Beyond Caring« as well as Falk Richter’s play »The Silence«, which had its German premiere at the Schaubühne this season and was invited to the Theatertreffen as one of the ten remarkable productions of the season.
SUPPORTING PROGRAMME
We are greatly looking forward to audience discussions with the artists involved in the festival and accompanying talks. In connection to the anniversary of the »Carnation Revolution«, a panel discussion in English about the new fascism in Europe and, complementing the stage adaptation of »Das Kapital« (Capital), a German-Italian dialogue on Prospects of Socialisation—and on the topicality of the book that lent its title to the play. Last but not least, the festival’s parties with DJ marsmaedchen and DJ Preller will provide the setting for us all to celebrate together.
So that you feel safe
The Schaubühne should be a safe space. To ensure this, we have an awareness team on site. Awareness stands for attention. Awareness ensures that the boundaries of mutual respect are not crossed. If you experience or observe behavior that crosses boundaries, please contact our colleagues in the foyer. They will refer you to the awareness team.
The Schaubühne shares fundamental values such as maintaining personal integrity, mutual respect, and the recognition of social diversity. We do not tolerate racism, sexism, anti-Semitism or any other form of discrimination.
We wish you a lot of fun at the festival!The FIND is funded by the State of Berlin, Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.
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