Questions for creators – YES! (maybe), Switzerland
- Why did you choose this play/ book/ theme for your production and why this caught up your attention?
We created YES! (maybe) as our practical thesis of our bachelor degree in theatre. It is a self created 30 minutes long performance about different working methods and life views in the theatre world. It is also a tribute to all the perks we as theatre people might know too well. We got together as a group because we wanted to discuss the issue of hypocrisy in the art world and decisions we as creators have to make each day. We felt the urge to make that our topic because we were – and probably still are – three kinda lost theatre students who are not quite sure how to fit into the market and what our responsibilities in this world of power structures and change are. We wanted to talk about working creatively as a group and the challenges that come with group work and we had ourselves and our experiences we could actively use for the performance.
- What theatre genre can we find in your production?
There are different theatre genres displayed in our production, while it still follows a clear given dramaturgy.. Some of it is traditional, text based theatre, other elements are also very performative. Dance elements and repetitions are used, as well as musical elements.
- Is your production intended for a specific target group?
We think it is for everybody who enjoys theatre and might also question the institution and the given structures with a smile. For everybody who struggles or feels insecure in the business, the ones who never stop searching. Maybe the ones who find themselves not wanting to suffer for art anymore.
- Is the issue of the situation we are currently living in reflected in your production?
If you mean the Covid-19 situation, not in particular. When we recorded the performance for the Festival we had to play in front of an empty room and two cameramen, which we thematized in small details. But overall we also look at „the situation we are currently living in“ as a case of what kind of actors and different people exist in our world. Our society and especially the theatre world is very embossed by different issues, which we tried to thematize: power structures, clichés about „you have to suffer to create“, not wanting to ‚bleed yourself dry‘ only for arts sake.
- What was the creating process of your production during the last year? Did you have sufficient conditions and space for creating and rehearsing the production?
As it was the practical thesis of our bachelor degree we already had a course in which we formed our group. We came together because we had similar issues we wanted to discuss and thematize. Over the course of half a year we wrote the sketch for our project and submitted it. After that we had 6 weeks to actively generate material and rehearse it and to find out in what form we wanted to present this performance. Our mentor guided us through those 6 weeks and helped us find the specific topics each one of us wanted to talk about and put onto the stage. Due to Covid the school was not as crowded as it usually would have been. The school regulated the number of students in the school so we all could work safely. We rehearsed during summer so it was easy to keep the windows and doors open. We had strict hygiene rules and had to always keep a distance or wear a mask. But all in all we could work and finish our project without any complications. Thus our energy levels remained quite good and we weren’t drained after each day.
- How much is it convenient if an actor becomes involved to or step in directors‘ work/ vision in your production? What kind of cooperation is between your company and a director?
We, Jeanne, Marc and Millie, created the performance with the help of our mentor Johannes Mager. For our work it was important to have an outside eye to organise the ideas we all had and mold them into the message we intended, which is what Johannes Mager did. He guided our wishes with his outside eye but we all had our individual visions of how we wanted the end product to be. As we used ourselves as material in a way, it was kind of convenient to have our experiences at hand. And because there was no clear director, the creation and directing process was a very supporting and productive one. Our mentor helped us to stay focussed on the main topic.
- Would you like to send a word to other production creators of this festival?
We are very sad that we can’t meet in person this year. We would’ve loved to get to know you, see all of your performances live, shake hands even, get to see Brno, drink loads and loads of wine with you, see some more theatre and drink some more wine.
Thank you for your response
The Editorial Office, Meting Point