Current Projects (2024-25)

Greenhouse

The aim of the project is to adapt the score of participatory performance ‘Greenhouse’ and showcase it in three Creative Europe countries, i.e. Georgia, Armenia, and Ukraine. These countries’ historical contexts resonate deeply with each other, as well as with the topic of performance.

‘Greenhouse’ tackles the issue of displacement as a result of military conflicts, and invites the audience to construct a temporary protective structure on stage. Shared experience of migration due to the Nagorno-Karabakh, Russo-Georgian and Russo-Ukrainian wars open pathways for local audience engagement, and connect to the broader issues of climate migration and climate change.

Taken beyond Western-European theatre production, the score will be adapted to account for local audience sensibilities, including people affected by the trauma of war. To achieve this, the team will be assisted by prominent local institutions, which will provide their curatorial guidance. During the stay in each of the localities, the Greenhouse team will immerse themselves in the local environment, get training from inclusivity facilitators, and collect materials for stage design. This will hopefully strengthen the feeling of solidarity between the countries, and create situational communities of empathy and cooperation.

Perform Europe Grant

EUR 60,000

Partners

Artistic Works

Greenhouse

Producers: Tereza Yakovyna & Matthias Schönijahn

text

‘Greenhouse’ is a participatory performance that explores the idea of seeking refuge during crises, emphasising the significance of shared experiences through inclusive somatic practices. It draws on the notion of a greenhouse – a catalysing metaphor in the era of climate change – and symbolically connects it with military aggression. This performance aims to reflect socio-political situations and local ecologies in countries that navigate active or hybrid wars, like Georgia, Armenia, and Ukraine. ‘Greenhouse’ premiered at Theaterwerkstatt Pilkentafel (Flensburg) and HAU Hebbel am Ufer Theatre in Berlin. It takes the experience of Ukrainian refugees in Germany as a starting point. The performance is contextually adapted for the 2024 tour of select countries. The centrepiece of the performance is an exploration of various catastrophic scenarios, presented in an artificial ecosystem (terrarium). Participants will create their own shelter, a protective structure made of discarded construction materials, like used doors and window panes. Throughout the performance, participants will be guided through bodily awareness exercises, breathing and vocal techniques by the group of ‘Greenhouse’ performers.