Building Conversation
Lotte van den Berg / Daan 't Sas
What is left of theater when we reduce it to its core? For the Dutch director Lotte van den Berg, theater is first and foremost an agreement to communicate with certain, often very different rules. No small talk, but – inspired by the political philosopher Chantal Mouffe – an agonistic negotiation of different opinions: To share a conflict without entirely resolving it.
Over the years, Lotte van den Berg in her work step by step got closer to that core. Now, with “Building Conversation“, she took the last, logical step. Together with the visual artist Daan ’t Sas, they free theater from all As If and realize it as what it is: A place of communication, of meeting each other, a room where conflicts are shown and experienced. Inspired by communication techniques from all over the world, models and frames for dialogue are developed. There are no actors, no audience. Just us. And the invitation to a passionate conversation.
| Agonistic Conversation | Conversation Without Words | Impossible Conversation About Money | Thinking Together – An Experiment |
|---|---|---|---|
| In a democratic space, opponents can talk without becoming enemies. Inspired by the agonistic thinking of Chantal Mouffe and a special Maori conver- sation technique, the “Agonistic Conversation” is a dialogue, in which conflicts and differences are seen as resources of change. | Sixty to eighty percent of our communication is nonverbal. The model of the annual Inuit assemblies is based on this knowledge: How do we communicate when we stop using words? Impossible | Reflection, retreat and dialogue alternate in this conversation method of the Jesuits. But instead of god, the conversation deals with money, something we avoid talking about as we never have enough or too much. | How can a conversation be selfregulatory? “Thinking Together” is based on a dialogue method developed by quantum physicist David Bohm. A conversation without moderator, without topic, without a goal, crystallizes patterns of our collective thinking. |
| June 12 * | June 12 * | June 12 * | |
| 7.30 – 11.30pm | 7.30 – 11.30pm | 7.30 – 11.30pm | |
| June 13 ** | June 13 * | June 13 * | June 13 ** |
| 3 – 8pm | 7.30 – 11.30pm | 7.30 – 11.30pm | 3 – 8pm |
| June 14 ** | June 14 ** | ||
| 3 – 8pm | 3 – 8pm | ||
| June 19 * | June 19 * | June 19 * | |
| 7.30 – 11.30pm | 7.30 – 11.30pm | 7.30 – 11.30pm | |
| June 20 ** | June 20 * | June 20 * | June 20 ** |
| 3 – 8pm | 7.30 – 11.30pm | 7.30 – 11.30pm | 3 – 8pm |
| Language EN | - | Language DE | Language DE |
| FFT Kammerspiele | FFT Kammerspiele | FFT Kammerspiele | FFT Kammerspiele |
| Düsseldorf | Düsseldorf | Düsseldorf | Düsseldorf |
*snack included
**dinner included
The conversations take place at different venues in Düsseldorf. Central meeting is the FFT Kammerspiele. Every conversation format starts with taking a walk together and an introducing to the conversation. After the conversation, there are snacks at the FFT Kammerspiele. Altogether, the event takes about 4 to 5 hours.
Concept / development / realization: Lotte van den Berg & Daan ‘t Sas
In collaboration with: Floor van Leeuwen (NL), Dennis Molendijk (NL), Jonathan Offereins (NL), Bart van Rosmalen (NL), Floris Siekman (NL), Katja Dreyer (DE), Andreas Bachmair (DE), Angelika Fink (DE), Akiko Okamoto (DE) and others
Archive: Paulien Oltheten
Production and Management: Third Space
“Building Conversation” is a coproduction of Impulse Theater Festival 2015, FFT Düsseldorf and Münchner Kammerspiele. Funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation, IN_SITU network in the frame of the MeTA project funded with support from the european Commission (DgeAC – Culture programme) with the coproducers København Internationale Teater and Čtyři dny Prague, Stichting Terschelllings oerol Festival Supported by Performing Arts Fund, The Amsterdam Fund for the Arts and Fonds 21. FFT is funded by the Ministry for Families, Children, Youth, Culture and Sports of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
