Divas Iludidas “Herr Dionysos” // Público Festival
Mr. Dionysus lives up to his reputation as the god of wine, theater and ecstasy and makes Acker Stadt Palace aka Orphic Salon glitter and glow. He welcomes the audience at the bar (where else could it be?) and negotiates with them nothing less than freedom. There is singing, talking, swearing and dancing around and about freedom, until at some point it stops - what now?
The performance "Herr Dionysos" (2019) by Divas Iludidas takes place in a theatre space that is open to the audience. In an ambience reminiscent of a nightclub, the collective addresses concerns about our democracies and how they are increasingly turning into autocratic systems, asking whether protest over these developments must always necessarily imply violence. In its poetic play, the collective recalls the ancient god Dionysus, and thus demonstrates an alternative form of protest in which audience and performers come together to dance.
Artists‘ Statement
Our joined efforts came together just before the peak of the economic crisis in Portugal, and the deep hole that followed. We started out as a “political intervention collective”, creating dialogs between different times, forms, concerns, and lives, which are reflected on a third kaleidoscopic object. This process of building the work revolves around the construction/ deconstruction within the forms of the performing arts themselves (theatre/ performance/ musical/ concert/ installation etc.), their nuances and/ or trends. Even though we work mainly in the field of musical theatre, we experiment. We are aiming to take a deep political discussion to a broader audience through this form. For us the process of creating culture is an attempt towards integration, the search for traces, creativity and the observation of time and space that surround us.
dramaturgy, stage design & costumes Ana Ribeiro, António Duarte music & sound design António Duarte performance Ana Ribeiro, Anete Colacioppo, Tiago Vieira, António Duarte
Divas Iludidas (meaning “The deluded Divas”) was founded in 2011 by Ana Ribeiro and António Duarte as a "political intervention collective" in Portugal. Ana Ribeiro is an actress and theater director, António Duarte is a film director, composer and sound designer. Together they have created over 13 projects so far. The core theme of their artistic work has always been the exploration of different forms of political activism through the performing arts. After establishing the independent performance art venue ‘Latoaria’ in Lisbon with six other artists, Tiago Vieira among them, and engaging in community work, the artist duo moved to Berlin in 2015. Divas Iludidas found a similar spirit and a second home at Acker Stadt Palast. In "Herr Dionysos", artistic director Anete Colacioppo herself takes to the stage and asks the anniversary guests to dance.
09 December 2022, following the performance of Mr Dionysus / Divas Iludidas.
Language & Art Lovers is an exchange format for people whose interest in the performing arts and learning a foreign language brings them together. Because what better way to practise this than through communication? After the performance, participants are asked questions about what they have seen using the It's a Match! card game in German, English, Portuguese and Spanish. Language & Art Lovers is suitable for different language levels. The format promises a lively exchange about art, languages and life – if necessary talking with hands and feet. At best, this creates regular language-culture tandems.
Participation is free in conjunction with a theater ticket.
concept & host Katharina von Wilcke
In cooperation with Theaterscouting