GHOSTING, world premiere…
GHOSTING; A FOOTPRINTS OF DAVID AND MONSTER TRUCK PROJECT
(A New Nigerian and Germany Theatre Collaboration)
A production by Footprints of David and MONSTER Truck in coproduction with Ballhaus Ost.
Funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe and the Performing Arts Fund.
WORLD VIRTUAL PREMEIRE (Online) -FEBUARY 2021, 27TH/28TH
NIGERIA LIVE PREMEIRE (physical) – MARCH 20, 2021 at the SEASIDE COTTAGE THEATER
Image by – MUIZ ADEBAYO
As the saying, ‘’Necessity is the mother of invention’’, same cannot be truer in the world we now live in dubbed: the new normal. Since the dreaded coronavirus outbreak was first announced in late 2019, nations have jostled to remedy the further spread of the deadly virus. Forced to curtail its further spread which mulct of destruction keeps spreading like wildfire – numbers of mortality increasing by the minutes, a compulsive lockdown was imposed by nearly all the nations of the world.
In addition to its collateral damage of massive deaths, it also crippled economic activities leading to retrenchment of large workforce – a sharp decline in GDP on the national front. No thanks to covid-19’s derisive duct, creativity is sharply affected. Artiste no longer find expression of their stock in trade in largest gathering of halls, cinemas, theatre halls or street gatherings – the world for a first time is boxed in the virtual reality of times.
Amidst the hullabaloo, a creaky noise is silenced – a beat resonates and muse is awoken again! The new normal stance is defiled for the creation of something similar to the crass of its times – unseen, unheard, untouched, yet it is felt like an adrenaline shot down the veins. There is convergence of thoughts across two nations in different continents – even though the airports are shut down, and there is a riotous jam of communication. More than ever, the voice pierces through the hearts of its fraternal bond – holding hands in a telepathic connection. A theatre piece was created – Ghosting!
Image by – PAULA REISSIG
Ghosting was inspired by the traumatic experience of the covid-19 pandemic that rocked the world – breaking every connection of the everyday human relationship under the guise of the ‘’new normal’’. Typified by the veering course of the human race – a different approach ensues – a new string of creativity laced with an unconventional act is conceived.
Born of two different continents, it breeds spirituality rather than an absenteeism of physical touch. Ghosting divines, a translocation of the cast to a Patmos of solitude, primal existence and experimentation of newness. The lead role, Sahar Rahimi in Germany reveals the masked alter-egos of her imagination – entrenched in the soul of 7 other performers in faraway Nigeria. Sahar pours her heart in cast in other places – with reflective moods foreshadowing images culled from Berlin and Lagos respectively. The message carried on in a younger cast, Anjoola Faniyi.
A cross-continental theatrical exploration – Monster Truck (Germany) and Footprints of David Arts (Nigeria) – both companies uniquely juxtaposing characters in seamless chain of performance brings to life the import of Ghosting. Defined by their deflection the conformist ‘’conversation and act’’, Monster Truck engages the use of images and bespectacled act in perusing the motive of the play with Footprints of David
Image by Kofo shotit
with Ololade Adebayo, Eniola Balogun, Anjoola Faniyi, Olabisi John, Boluwatito Ogundare, Esther Ogungbamila, Mariam Olawale, Sahar Rahimi, Victoria Umoru, Concept Sahar Rahimi, Segun Adefila, dramaturgy Manuel Gerst artistic collaboration Oluwaseun Awobajo, Golnaz Farmani sound Niki Neecke video Berlin Joscha Eckert video Lagos Jere Ikongio section joscha Eckert figure construction Veit Kowald, Benedict Jahl production line honest labor – free Kulturbüro
“FOOTPRINTS OF DAVID- (The best children theatre troupe in Africa) A multiple-award winning children/student dance theatre group with vast experience in performances both at home and internationally, the F.O.D based in Bariga area of Lagos, enjoys patronage and support from numerous eminent Nigerians, and has received commendation in “performance excellence” from the former German president, Joachim Gauck, Emmanuel Macron-French president when they visited Nigeria few years ago. Led by the multi-skilled artiste — Theater Director, dancer, drummer, poet, actor, and a community Organizer, Seun Awobajo, the FoD has travelled extensively in Europe, especially in Germany.
Image by- Seun Awobajo
Monster Truck was founded in 2005 at the Institute for Applied Theater Studies in Gießen. The group produces theater/performance, scenic installations and video work and in most productions cooperates with other performers, directors, musicians and other project-related specialists. A key aspect of Monster Truck’s work is their examination of images, spaces and structures that influence society’s subconscious just as much as our alleged consciousness. In the deconstruction of these mechanisms and representations, science fiction comes up against images of past eras, Hollywood blockbuster aesthetics come face to face with 19th century vaudeville, artistic convention meets natural history, politics and entertainment. In everything that Monster Truck does, the love of the spectacle and its critical examination are always in balance. Monster Truck are: Manuel Gerst, Sahar Rahimi, Ina Vera. Associated Monster Trucker: Marcel Bugiel, Alice Ferl, Sebastian König, Matthias Meppelink, Kris Merken, Malte Scholz, Mark Schröppel, Sylvia Sobottka
NB-
Premiere February 27, 2021, 12:00 p.m.
Available online until February 28, 2021, 11:59 p.m.
Q&A with the ensemble on February 28, 2021, 7:00 p.m., live stream
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