David Weber-Krebs „Tonight, lights out” // Público Festival
In the midst of the world financial crisis, BILD ran the headline "Tonight from 20:00 to 20:05 the lights go out!" on December 8, 2007. To protest against climate change, all citizens were called upon to make this gesture of active participation and solidarity. "5 minutes for a better world!" was the subtitle.
The Belgian-based director and performer David Weber-Krebs took this scenario as the starting point for his showpiece of audience participation. In "Tonight, lights out!" (2011), he seduces the audience in an empty stage space, wired with a plethora of light bulbs, to test their social and democratic skills live: How can we become part of a temporary community? Can we build consensus? And what actually happens when we sit together in the dark? As master of ceremonies, it is his job to lead the audience towards the moment when they turn off the lights together.
The play begins with the story of Ismaël, a Coptic boy in Egypt who finds himself and his family forced to move from the countryside to the polluted north of Cairo. One day, thanks to the power of inner intuition and collective action, he manages to drive the "Black Cloud" - symbol of the dark side of humanity - out of the city.
Inspired by this miraculous story, all guests of the evening are invited to take faith into their own hands. Lights on or lights off?
Almost exactly 15 years after the legendary BILD title, 11 years after the premiere, 3 years after the outbreak of the Corona pandemic and in the middle of one of the most drastic climate and energy crises of our time, this classic of the performing arts appears more explosive and illuminating than ever!
concept, text, performance & sound David Weber-Krebs, Coordt Linke concept light installation Hans Westendorp technique Martin Kaffarnik production & assistance Marie Urban management & production Simone Basani, Maarten Westra Hoekzema,, Mathias Domahidy
A Stichting Infinite Endings production in co-prodution with Frascati, STUK, Zeitraumexit and Theater Zeebelt