Mama Caravana

25 May 2015. Lisbon, Portugal.

Sometimes opportunities are right in front of our eyes. We are living in a vibrant Lisbon flat now for two months, and decided to jump in on the travel theatre project of our flatmate. We will journey from Lisbon to Prague in campervans and perform improvisational street theatre with three toddlers in many places along the way. It will be a great opportunity to learn and gain experience in this kind of interactive performance.

Yeon is very excited about this project; Kamiel seems hesitant because he wants to see the bigger picture. How does this merge all our creative streams into some kind of Charity travel 2.0 (which we will call differently)? We have been playing with the idea of theatre for development for some time now, and we still think Yeon's keen designer eye and Kamiel's quirky philosophical speculations are a powerful thing, especially when catalyzed by our little Miru. We observe that what stands in the way of positive change is often deeply engrained social hierarchies and habits, not lack of tools. To change these habits, we need to improve our collective imagination (is there still something collective about our imagination?). And theatre seems to be the tool to do this. Through the stage, we could suggest the kind of illusions that turn into worthy realities when lived by. Brecht in Brazzaville. Obviously, I'm just spinning ideas. But we're happy to kick off with Mama Caravana in Europe.

We are open for suggestions.

Below is the official announcement of the project on Facebook:

MAMACARAVANA Project is an autobiographical production, born out of the encounter of two controversial figures, the dancer and performer ALENA DITTRICHOVÁ, visual and performance artist LILIAN ENDERS RIBEIRO and later joined by theatre designer/writer YEON CHOI.
The journey of three mothers with their young children by caravan from Portugal to Czech Republic will be the base for a creative process. It is an out-door improvisational theatre performance inspired by children’s moves, instincts and games, embracing its incidental chances and momentum of each environment. In the style of a continuous nomadic 'rehearsal', it will also provide various workshops and an experimental documentation with a video and sound.
This experimental research tries to map the diversity of audience interaction in different cultures of parenting, urban and rural surroundings, in spontaneous staging across Europe. It is a long term project as children grow, mothers also grow and our lives grow.
Too crazy? Too dangerous? Inappropriate?
Let's find out how it would unfold.
So please follow us mothers, fathers and children!
Let's move and have some fun!
From June 22nd, 2015 to end of August, 2015.
From Lisbon to Prague. (Specific itinerary TBA)