Activity

HECUBA – Ports and suburb of the Mediterranean Sea – Marseille (France)

Theatre research for the production of a new play devellopped through steps in the suburbs of the Mediterranean Sea

An activity by
partnering with Europe Grand Central

Explores the borders

local international

Why

HECUBA weaves together a theatre research for the production of a new play with the desire to approach new audiences to the languages of performing art.
The goal of this project is double:
– to create a new performance that is nourished by several experiences in different cities and countries
– to test the specific method of “neighbourhood activation” developped by the company in the Pilastro area in Bologna by extending it to different territories and countries.

Location

Théatre des Argonautes, Boulevard Longchamp, Marsiglia, Francia

Characteristics

Area

Théâtre Les Argonautes is placed in the heart of Marseille: here many people from different mediterranean cultures can meet up and share different artistic languages and skills.

Audience

Hecuba involves three kind of targets:
– the local partner in each city – in this case Théâtre Les Argonautes
– the partecipants to the workshop – in this case six actors: one from Italy and 5 from different city of France
– the audience of the performance

How the audience/participants were reached or discovered

In Marseille we worked with a pluralistic group of people from many country and of different ages. Francine, a 60 years old actress who has already worked on the Hecuba figure for her performance Chienne,  starred with a group of young and not professional actors.

How it was done

performance
workshops

How

The seventh step of Hecuba was realized as a theatre production. The group of six actors worked with director Febo Del Zozzo for ten days in order to prepare the performance. Febo Del Zozzo created the scenic machine, which resembles a huge loom where the performers move. Febo himself acts on stage as a stagehand. The show was performed at Theater Les Argonauter on 14th December 2016.

 

Results

This was a great experiment to work with a group of people from different cultures, backgrouds, languages and ages. They really had the possibility to share experience and skills to create a unique performance.

How it went

Main lessons learned

Hecuba’s character and history are strong enough to involve people of different ages and backgrounds in all Mediterannean countries.

Inspiration

HECUBA project sums up Laminarie theatre company’s wish for “getting closer” to things. Professor Claudio Meldolesi once wrote “Laminarie expresses its vocation to contact – with matter, with objects, with words, with bodies, with the world inside and outside the theatre scene, with the places – and through interconnections between fairy tales and tragedy, playing and thinking, creative and fghting experiences, between city center and outskirts”. Laminarie theatre company always aims to get in touch with new and unforeseen audiences.

Greek mithology has been a strong inspiration for this project, together with the idea of deeply exploring the border between micro-local actions and international ones.

We decided to focus on Hecuba’s character because:
– the Greek tragedy is universal and it can be used as a mean of dialogue between diferent cultures people across the Mediterranea Sea.
– Hecuba is the story of a war told by the perspective of losers. It’s a symbol of a possible change of point of view in History’s narration.

Credits

A project by Laminarie
direction and scenography Febo Del Zozzo
with Francine Eymery, Paola Lentini, Audrey Despagne, Laura Ghnassia, Thomas Carroger, Nancy Robert
organization Marcella Loconte, Andrea Berna, Valeria La Corte
with the support of Bologna Municipality, Emilia Romagna Region, Ministry of Culture, Théâtre Les Argonautes Marseille

Activity Timeline

2016

  • Hecuba - Seventh step: Marseille (Fr)

    Since 2009, LAMINARIE has its headquarter at theatre DOM la cupola del Pilastro, situated in a suburb of Bologna. Here, Laminarie has been working in deep contact with citiziens and inhabitants of the area, creating a supporting community for its projects.

    HECUBA weaves together a theatre research for the production of a new play with the desire to approach new audiences to the languages of per- forming art.

    The goal of this project is double: – to create a new performance that is nourished by several experiences in different cities and countries – to test the specifc method of “neighbourhood activation” developed by the company in the Pilastro area in Bologna by extending it to diferent territories and countries.

    The project last three years (2015-2017) and involves many Italian suburbs and small villages where there’s a lack of stable theatre structures, and several ports along the Mediterranean Sea.

    In each place, the project will mark out specific characteristics in order to meet the local context. Laminarie looked for local partners interested in the project wiling to cover the role of benckmarks of the local context and can help us building the relationship with places and people.

    Laminarie’s intent is to take root in suburbs and ports along the Mediterranean Sea, working with local people and actors such as associations, libraries, institutions, schools and so on. Activities may include: workshops, conversations and meetings, lectures, involvment of citizens and local actors, single or collective narrations, urban performances, shows, video and so on. At the same time, the production of Laminarie’s new performances is going to get richer and richer while each new step is added to the final dramaturgy.

    The very first step of the project is in Bologna at Pilastro’s neighbourhood with the citizens of the area