My blogs are supposed to discuss the festival from the perspective of an Irish artist living in Berlin and to speak of my experiences living in Berlin. I will be keeping the latter short today for reasons that will become clear in the next line.
I’m so busy I’m riding my front-basketed, wide-handled, chill-out-and-watch-the-world-go-by bike, like a racer. Nearly choked on my own hair yesterday.
The Company opened the festival on Thursday to a packed house. It was quite brilliant. When the lights went up I was only able to spend half a second reminiscing about a show Brian Bennet and I did in 2007. A production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Storytellers Th Co) with The Irish Chamber Orchestra playing Mendelssohn’s overture throughout. Now I live in Berlin and Brian is on a stage with three other actors and lots of boxes. No orchestra. A piece of advice: Never allow an orchestra to overture or underscore or come near your performance because no entrance stage left or right will ever be the same again.
My reminiscence exploded and I was sucked into As you are now so once were we. No orchestra needed. The fire in and precision of these performers is arresting.
Before the show Günther, the artistic director of English Theatre Berlin spoke briefly about his relationship with and impressions of Irish theatre since the 1970s. He spoke about it in a way that made one want to know more so I asked Günther for more and this is what he said:
“For decades I’ve enjoyed Irish theatre shows a lot, for several different reasons: the intriguing mixture of both historically and socially relevant shows – shows dealing with Irish history and shows dealing with contemporary Ireland, plus, most importantly, the fun of making theatre – always impressed me when I saw Irish shows in Dublin or in Edinburgh. Or plays, new Irish plays. From Enda Walsh of the mid 1990s to McPherson, Carr all the way to the newest plays of our time. There seems to be a very good, very strong and profitable connection between the Irish literature tradition and new young writers; both a pride to continue something and an urgency to express what´s at stake now.
What I found puzzling on the other hand was that these shows hardly ever had any international visibility, weren´t invited to the bigger European festivals, with the exceptions of a Rough Magic show here or a Pan Pan show there, or of course Conor Lovett, but not with a regularity that the Dublin scene actually deserves to be present on the international theatre map.
I wanted to show that it´s possible, with the little impact that we can make here in Berlin.
On top of that – I like Dublin and the festival atmosphere there. I´m not one of those huge Ireland fans, travelling there every year, buying a house there and so on but I love the city of Dublin, enjoy being there every time. The annual International Theatre Exchange is excellently organised by the ITI and a fantastic opportunity to meet international theatre makers over a few days. I´ve been to many festivals over the last 20 years but I don´t think you can meet as many interesting colleagues from around the planet within just a few days in a relaxed atmosphere as you can during the ITE except maybe the British Council showcase in Edinburgh every other year but this is a lot more hectic.”
Dear Ireland,
Adopt Günther.
See you in June when I go home for my sister’s wedding.
Thanks
Mary.
Check the calender for tonight. A panel discussion on Beckett and what promises to be a really beautiful concert.
