Based on their previous performance
T O W E R, Basak Layic and Mara van Nes continue their reserach on unity and separation, adding the human obession of neverendinging progress to the mix. During a residency with Brainwash Festival at De Brakke Grond they created a new 20 minute work:
For the performance T O W E R at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival, writer Basak Layic, director Mara van Nes and actor Sipan Sezgin Tekin came together for two weeks in Theater van Deyssel (Frascati) to investigate connectedness. For this 60-minute performance, they wrote a new myth based on the old story of The Tower of Babel.
May 4, at 9 pm, De Thomaskerk: the silence is softly broken by the rustling of pages. Standing still is followed by movement. A book is opened, a throat is cleared: 'Rosa & Hannah - the (im)possible revolution' sounds.
When do you belong? What does "we" mean? Why is there then also always a "they"? And how big can a "we" become?
During Konvooi Festival 2021, for six days, Pleun Peters and Mara van Nes retreated to the roof of Het Entrepot in Bruges. To try to transcend something in the midst of all the labour, industry, structure, planning, efficiency.
Trying to understand something.
Trying to connect themselves with something bigger.
To become small.
To dessolve.
View outside, to gain insight...
Whenever we stumble on a problem that affects society, the analysis often includes our excessive individualism. Often we turn to collectivity for answers. Even though history has shown us over and over again that this too, comes at a price.
During Oerol 2021, Mara van Nes hosted conversations with various artists around a fire. She talked to these makers about what moves them, what they are fiery passionate about or what makes them very quiet. With topics of conversation that are abrasive or, on the contrary, unctuous, that both satisfy the Marshmallow-Brain and kick-start the Acorn-Brain.
DEGASTEN NOMAD is a group of young people with different nationalities that work together to make performances. DEGASTEN NOMAD originated from a integration and language platform called BOOST in Amsterdam East in collaboration with theatre group DEGASTEN.
Theatre duo Basak Layic & Mara van Nes present the Millenial Immigrant, a rollercoaster monologue about coming to terms with your past and being in the here and now.
The first version of this roundtable was created for The RRReuring Theatre Festival at Podium Mozaiek. A new version was created for The Oerol Festival in the summer of 2019. The design of this table was based on a poker game and the conversation-structure was inspired by the Socratic Conversation in combination with the concept of 'Reflexivity', Which originates form sociology. Both concepts stress the importance of self-awareness as a tool to gain more knowledge and understanding.
"How NOT to make money from a viral video"
Theatre makers Mara Van Nes and Sem Jonkers unsuspectingly made the viral video "horsewithnoname" during the Corona quarantine. Major talk shows from America and the UK surfaced and the two end up in the Wild West of the profit-hungry online video license market. They found that it is virtually impossible to freely share online content without making money from one party. So they decided to set up the horsewithnoname.world website to denounce online copyright earning models.
IN A TIME OF SOCIAL ISOLATION,
HOW CAN WE CONNECT?
WHEN YOU CAN’T TOUCH,
SHARE A PHYSICAL SPACE NOR MAKE EYE CONTACT…
WHEN WALLS ARE SEPARATING US,
BUT WE HAVE WORDS TO SAY AND SONGS TO SING.
CAN WE STILL BE HEARD?
"I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM. WHEN I WAS 20 YEARS OLD I WENT TO PRISON FOR THE FIRST TIME. I WAS PLAYING A PINK FLOYD SONG IN A PUBLIC PARK, THE GUARD: SCREAMED AND POINTED AT ME (IN SYRIAN) 'THERE HE IS MASTER, I KNOW IT WAS HIM, BECAUSE HE HAS A PIANO ON HIS BACK!' (I WAS CARRYING MY GUITAR).
WHY DID I PLAY PINK FLOYD?
BECAUSE IT IS AGAINST MIND CONTROL"
The term 'Rebel' seems from a distant past. From a time when excessive armpit hair and having dreams held enough value to make a difference in this world. Those times are over. Young people achieve, consume and produce. What does it mean to grow up in Amsterdam today? Does the city only know young winners? Are there any roads outside the beaten track? Is there still room for rebellion?
Based on conversations with young people from Amsterdam, I went in search of a new definition of "the Rebel". During The Evening of Frascati Issues #REBEL, 8 potential rebels steped onto the soapbox to share their quest with the audience.
