Bunker » Betontanc & Umka.LV: SHOW YOUR FACE!

Betontanc & Umka.LV: SHOW YOUR FACE!

Show Your Face!

Photo: Gints Malderis

Two “terrorist” groups left an indelible mark at the beginning of the past century: researchers into the basic particles of the human soul and researchers of the basic particles of matter itself. Freudians on one side and nuclear physicists on the other worked in small groups, which guard the last remaining secrets of the soul and matter.

World War II ended with the triumph of physics. The horrific aftermath of the explosion of the atomic bomb, which ended a certain epoch in the history of humans, was only a tangible proof, as to what can happen if the basic particles are broken or interfered with. Nevertheless, we still don’t know what happens if we break the basic particles of the human soul, nor do we know a procedure, which would allow us to do something like that: so far, not even one country has been prepared to invest in the research in the field of psychology, where so much money and numerous countries have been prepared to invest in finding a protocol, which allows them to split the atom. The capital market is not interested in finding a cure for the soul, as capital is growing and expanding on the back of human stupidity.

The problem of final revelation of the human soul is that no-one is paying any attention to the basic particles, which also make up certain mistakes in history. All the debates are revolving around those ideas and differing ideologies and practices, which were causes for conflicts; as these were disputes between two philosophical schools and not an amalgam of coincidences, mistakes and lapses, which transformed individuals into unsuspecting victims.

History proves that it is very easy to destroy a body, but on the other hand it brilliantly hides its methods of how to blow up the soul. Who are those people without faces, who were in the wrong place at the wrong time? People, whose every step and every sound was monitored by raving executors with the sole intent of blowing up their souls, so that the world could be so beautiful today and so useful for us bastards, who are still alive.

This performance won’t be a show about patting someone on the back. This performance will be the final judgement for us all, because we allowed ourselves to forget.

Credits

Directed by: Matjaž Pograjc
Concived and performed by: Betontanc & Umka.LV (Primož Bezjak, Daša Doberšek, Branko Jordan, Andris Kalnozols, Marcis Lacis, Katarina Stegnar, Gints Širmelis-Širmanis)
Music: Silence, Ugis Vitins
Puppets and objects: Barbara Stupica
Choreography: Branko Potočan
Costumes: Mateja Benedetti
Light design: Tomaž Štrucl
Sound design: Jure Vlahovič
Photos: Gints Malderis
Executive producers: Ira Cecić, Maija Pavlova
Touring manager: Maja Vižin
Produced by: Bunker, New Theatre Institute of Latvia
Performance was made possible by: Ministry of Culture of Slovenia, City of Ljubljana, Ministry of Culture of Latvia, City of Riga, State Culture Capital Fundation, Theorem and program Culture 2000

Performances

Premiere:
World premiere: 25th May 2006, Independent theatre “Skatuve”, Riga
Slovene premiere: 15th June 2006, Stara mestna elektrarna – Elektro Ljubljana

Up-coming performances:

10th and 11th december 2017 at 9pm., Stara mestna elektrarna – Elektro Ljubljana

Past performances:
16th, 17th and 18th June 2006, Stara mestna elektrarna – Elektro Ljubljana
Avgust 2006, festival Mladi levi, Ljubljana
1st and 2nd September 2006, Stara mestna elektrarna – Elektro Ljubljana
13th September 2007, Stara mestna elektrarna – Elektro Ljubljana
October 2007, Stara mestna elektrarna – Elektro Ljubljana
October 2007, Slovene theatre festival, the 42nd Borstnik Meeting – award for collective artistic achievement, Maribor
October 2007, Anton Podbevšek Theatre, Novo mesto
October 2007, festival Theater Fuer Alle: Give as much as you can, Bremen, Schwankhalle
May 2008, Rehearsing Freedom on Stage , IETM, Ljubljana
July 2008, International Festival of Street Art, Palmela
August 2008, festival Noorderzon, Groningen
November 2009, festival Drugajanje, Maribor
November 2009, Stara mestna elektrarna – Elektro Ljubljana
16th and 17th December 2010, Stara mestna elektrarna – Elektro Ljubljana
6th – 8th January 2011, 3 performances, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
10th and 11th January 2011, 2 performances, festival Under the Radar, New York
14th – 16th January 2011, 3 performances, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
19th – 23rd January 2011, 5 performances , REDCAT/Calarts theater, Los Angeles
17th July 2011, Mittelfest, Cividale del Friuli
25th November 2011, LIMIT – Live art festival, Belgrade
26th October 2012, Perforacije Festival/IETM Plenary Meeting, Zagreb, Croatia
25th and 27th October 2012, Stara mestna elektrarna – Elektro Ljubljana
17th October 2013, festival Theatre Confrontations, Lublin, Poland
5th February 2015, culture day in the frame of the Theatre Playground project, Stara mestna elektrarna – Elektro Ljubljana
6th February 2015, culture day in the frame of the Theatre Playground project, Stara mestna elektrarna – Elektro Ljubljana, CANCELLED!
6th and 7th February 2015, Stara mestna elektrarna – Elektro Ljubljana
10th and 11th February 2015, festival Reims Scènes d’Europe 2015, Le Manège de Reims, Reims, France
1st July 2015, Spectrum Theaterfest, Villach