- Mike van Graan, Cultural Activist and Playwright; and Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow, Robert Bosch Academy
- Anna-Katharina Müller, dramaturg and Head of Stückemarkt at Theatertreffen of Berliner Festspiele until 2022
About
Art for social change. Theatre against war. Art for its own sake. Theatre for development. Art as a mirror to society. The role of the arts has always been contested.
Theatre is one form of arts that has ever since served as an inspiration and accelerator of social discourse. The format and topic chosen by playwrights and directors is often inspired and shaped by the social and political contexts in which they origin and are performed. In an interrelated world with mutually reinforcing social, political and economic dynamics, local and global boundaries blur – on all kinds of stages.
What might the growing interest among German theatre-makers in collaborating with African theatre mean practically given different theatre practices and socio-political conditions in which the plays have their origin? Can plays speak for themselves and be contextualized globally serving the purpose of supporting social discourse and change? How do the expectations of audiences influence aesthetic choices and formats?
Mike van Graan, recognized as one of South Africa’s foremost contemporary playwrights, and Anna-Katharina Müller, dramaturg and Head of Stückemarkt at Theatertreffen of Berliner Festspiele until 2022, will address these questions in a conversation on stage. Excerpts of some of Mike van Graan’s plays will be screened and serve as a basis for a critical discussion about the role, practice, and opportunity of theatre. How can theatre reflect and impact discrimination, inequality, and colonialism?
Registration for this event is closed.