Q&A - Ikon of Light

Saturday Night

On our longest drive of the year, the CCA cars passed each other on the highway. Our black-van caravan was mistaken for an official government entourage. We sang to music on a CD made by one of the kids and blared it as we waved to passing cars. Without an announcement, the jury got spontaneous applause as they entered to take their seats. The kids talked to strangers and took their photos. The singers from the first half approached the kids to chat during the pause. I tried to convince the kids that Canadian kleenex is the same as German tissue but promised to post some anyway. The jury got free bread and pretzels just by asking! One kid yelled "Bravo" as the instrumentalists sat down to start to play. We heard the loudest stomach grumble in the history of the world. Three kids gave the show a standing ovation. Others were thrilled it was over. We sat on stage in the performers' chairs to meet the conductor and four musicians. The kids asked them what animal they would be if they had the choice. One kid got to hold a cello. Others asked for autographs. We danced and sang our hearts out to Dirty Dancing outside, possibly disrupting a wedding reception. We saw a rat. We almost got locked in our parking lot. We taught each other German and English the whole car ride back. There were 502 photos on the camera when I got home. 

It was CCA just the way it's meant to be. It was AWESOME.

It's Friday night and where else would we be? At the performance hall of course... this time to see music by Jonathan Harvey and Alban Berg at the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum.

Here we are in the foyer with Dan Perjovschi's www 2013...

TROPHY MAKING!!!!!

This week, all FOUR schools in this year's CCA made their trophies for the big ceremony--coming up SOON!!! (October 6 at the Gelbäsehalle in Duisburg, in case you forgot) Here they are... and we have to say, they look PRETTY fantastic this year!

In Mülheim an der Ruhr...

Ein Brief von Robert Wilson!!!!

Robert Wilson hat geantwortet!!! Letzte Woche hatte die Klasse der Erich-Kästner-Schule einen Brief an Robert Wilson geschrieben, in dem sie sich für das Künstlergespräch bedankten. Gestern erhielt die Klasse eine Antwort, persönlich von ihm geschrieben in seiner wunderschönen Schrift, die dem einen oder anderen bekannt sein dürfte. Der Brief wird nun eingerahmt und in die Klasse gehängt. 

Danke Bob!!

Twin Singalong @ Stifters Dinge

Stifters Dinge, once more

On Tuesday, after two trophy-making workshops, we headed back to Duisburg for another visit to Heiner Goebbel's new performance, Stifters Dinge.

Robin enjoying the breeze of the autobahn...

Sunday double-header: Stifters Dinge & In Absentia

Sunday was ANOTHER double-header! First the jury headed back to Duisburg to see Heiner Goebbels' Stifters Dinge, the Unguided Tour. Here they are, with an extra large box of Juicy Fruit for the day...

Q&A Stifters Dinge mit Heiner Goebbels

Stifters Dinge

Saturday night: premiere night! We picked up the jury and headed to Duisburg for the opening of Heiner Goebbels' Stifters Dinge at the Kraftzentrale. But first...

here's Pascal riding an adorable pink bike

Das Mädchen, round two

It's the weekend! And on Friday we went back for a second round of Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern, starring Robert Wilson and Angela Winkler. Here we are, meeting at the Jahrhunderthalle, ready to make our VIP entrance (and before about 5 spins around the roundabout...)

Silence, Exile, Deceit: Verstecken spielen

A letter to Robert Wilson

Nachdem die Jury vergangenen Samstag Robert Wilson mit Fragen über Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern löchern durfte, schrieben sie ihm einen Brief, um sich dafür zu bedanken. 

Lara als Postbotin

CRAY at the fault lines

On Thursday night we went to Pact Zollverein to see the fault lines, with Meg Stuart, Philipp Gehmacher and Vladimir Miller. This jury is a bit CRAY and we had quite a bit of fun running around the Zollverein before the show even started....

I think picture sets the tone.

VIP

Englisch?

When Kids Are Loud/Wenn Kinder laut sind

- Die deutsche Fassung befindet sich weiter unten -


When Kids Are Loud

On the whole, the Children's Choice Awards' jury repeatedly impresses both us and the public who sit around us with their behaviour at the shows they see. We've shown this year and in past presentations of this project that not only can kids go see theatre and performance that we "expect" them not to get; that they can enjoy shows we don't think they will; and that they won't ruin the experience of them for the rest of us.

But sometimes... kids are loud. Or distracting. Or annoying. Last weekend, the jury went to a couple of shows where this was the case. Fidgeting, whispering, laughing... it happens, especially when kids are with other kids, in a group of 15, out of school and away from parents, with their friends. We know some of the people around us were annoyed. But this discomfort is part of what the project is about. And ultimately, we want to remind you: it's up to YOU to tell them how you feel.

In 2011, in response to some problems we encountered while doing CCA, Mammalian Diving Reflex's Artistic Director Darren O'Donnell wrote the Mammalian Protocol for Collaborating with Children (click for link), a document that, in effect, outlines the working method we use with the CCA jury. All of Mammalian's collaborations with children have, at one level or another, the theme of the full recognition of children as rights-holders who are “not only entitled to receive protection but also have the right to participate in all matters affecting them, a right which can be considered as the symbol for their recognition as rights holders. This implies, in the long term, changes in political, social, institutional and cultural structures,” that in effect, will create “a new social contract.” This is what all of Mammalian's work with children is about.

Q&A Partita 2

Silence, Exile, Deceit (errrrrr the haunted house?)

The jury went to the Mischanlage on Monday to check out Douglas Gordon's "industrial pantomime," Silence, Exile, Deceit. We hoped we'd figure out what that means....

Audio Graffiti (meeting of the CCAs!) and Partita No. 2 (talkativity?)

Sunday: another double header. We started first by bringing the jury to the final presentation for Hidden Mother's Audio Graffiti; after a food break, we headed to Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Boris Charmatz's performance of Partita No. 2. 

There was a lot of discussion about whether the CCA jury should attend Partita; last year, the jury was a bit... interruptive... at two of Anne Teresa's performances, and there was some debate about whether they should attend again--especially considering the long periods of silence in this particular performance. In the end, we decided to go; and in the end, the jury behaved WUNDERBAR, proving once again that their presence in the audience doesn't have to affect the show any more than if it's only adults. We are glad we went!

But first: we gotta put the magnets on the car. Rojhevi knows how to do it RIGHT.