Dream Catchers

City Link Community Theatre Project 2010

In dreams everything is possible. A dream takes us into another world, another reality. Theatre also has this character. In a performance or theatre show a new reality is created. Theatre is an ideal place for extremes and differences to meet, and together they form a story. Theatre is therefore a creative way to stimulate all participants and the audiences with new ideas and inspirations.

In June, July and August 2010, a new theatre project is being organized in Mutare. A group of local actors and residents will produce a play called ‘Dreamcatchers. For three weeks, two experienced acting and miming teachers from The Netherlands, Jansje Meijman and Joyce Timmerman, are working together with the group from Mutare and support the production.
It is the 3rd time since 2007 that this theatre project is being realized.

The citylink Haarlem – Mutare is again collaborating with the Mutare Association for Performing Arts (M.A.P.A.), a group representing local artists and cultural institutions. In 2007, the central subject was GENDER and the play called ‘Will Power’ used Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night as a basis to mix with stories from the townships. Mimic and montage were the tools used to address TOLERANCE in the play ‘The Odd One Out’ in 2009. This year, DREAMING will be the central subject.

Local myths, old stories, new stories, secrets, gossip and anecdotes about extraordinary people are the basis for each production. This years’ play ‘Dreamcatchers’ is a combination of personal stories with stories found in the community.
The idea of the community theatre project is to train and exchange experience and knowledge of both the Dutch theatre professionals and the participants from Zimbabwe. At the same time the play is meant to provoke reflection on community life by theatricalising daily reality.

The theatre project is happening at two different locations in Mutare. Both times, it kicks off with a Padare where local stories are collected and potential participants, both local artists as well as residents, are being chosen. The final choice is made during next days’ workshop. What follows then, is an intensive program of rehearsals during 3 weeks finding its peak with a performance ‘in the community, for the community, with the community, about the community’. About 750 people are expected to come and watch the play when it starts to tour in schools and at festivals from 16th July onwards.

During June and July, the alliance of theatre professionals and residents from Mutare is working very hard to prepare a play that represents every aspect of dreaming, daydreaming, nightmares, fears, fantasies, expectations or real dreams in order to collectively dream to work on a better future.

Performace The Odd One Out

Motivation

They say: theatre has no borders. But our world has. On every map you see proof. Dots and lines mark the end of one country and the start of another. Clear defined units, form the patchwork quilt that is our world.

At each patch rules and customs exists and each society has its own borders. It is often the artist who with his art explores uses, expose or mirrors the borders characteristic for his society. Especially with theatre – the art form with which particularly we can explores our daily life with a magnifying glass – you see the advantage of the combination of different elements. Theatre and theatre artists flower at the meeting point of different elements. Especially at the moment of confrontation and meeting the starting point the theatre play comes in to being. Especially in these small contrasting elements shelters the larger story. The artist looks at his own patch, but also sees the whole blanket. That why the say: theatre has no borders.

Courtauld Theatre Mutare

All over the world there is theatre. In Zimbabwe theatre is everywhere: at the weekends there is street theatre at the townships, there are dance contests and theatre festivals and if people are waiting in a line people start singing. There is a political and economic crisis, repression and poverty for many years now. The agricultural crisis has increased poverty and hunger during the last years. People have to survive from day tot day. Under these circumstances theatre is very important. Artists still need to express themselves. Creativity is important to overcome stagnation in society. Art and culture are important sources of strength and development. It opens the possibility to look at each others with other eyes, initiate debate and teaches people to appreciate each other. Art is often a refuge for freedom of expression where elsewhere in society this expression has been quelled.

Zimbabwe has a culture of silence: it is better and safer to keep silent. In Dutch culture people are used to their of age culture: you have tot express yourself and preferably direct and hard. In this projects these two extremes will meet, interesting and experimental combinations will be formed and will lead to an artistic product: a play. Known and unknown elements will have to find their way into the story, elements of both cultures will be expressed. The language of theatre reach over all borders and this play will have a positive effect on cultural interaction. It gives a voice to the theatre makers. A voice that will be heard all over Mutare.

Artistically the play will be a collage play. A play in which several elements - sometimes conflicting with each other- are put together to tell a great story. The elements in itself show the strengths of the participants, improve their skills and combines their powers. The collage has to result in play that will be accessible for everyone. Colourful and spectacular as well as silent and still. Song alongside text and movement. Laugh and tears. Theatre uses traditionally several tricks to express itself under certain circumstances. At the theatre workshop at Mutare 2007 we used comic elements to express a serious message. We hope to bring it this time a bit further. The theme of the play will be: the last day. What if you do something for the last time? What if the world perishes? What would you do? Swim naked, visit you family for the last time, cry or party? or which questions would you seek an answer? What are you regrets, what has to change? And with whom will you spend your last minutes? With the theme we can find small and personal problems as well as big stories within society. Zimbabwean ideas and Dutch ideas exist alongside and there will be differences and similarities. With all these elements together in a play, we hope the patchwork quilt will make us proud.