Friday, 7th May 2010

SOPHIENSAELE (Sophienstraße 18, 10178 Berlin)

9.30 am: Reception

10 – 11.30 am: The Stage in the Spotlight

“The planks that represent the world” - this phrase invariably refers to the demand for an increased cultural and political significance to be attributed to theatre. But which general importance can be accredited to contemporary drama in Central and East Europe today? Is there for young theatre makers a predictable route from original idea to enactment on stage? Does the theatre only fill a niche in the cultural market, valued just by the intellectual minority, or is it appreciated on a broader social and media scale? Which potential can it unfold in this regard in comparison to film, music and literature? Discussing these issues will be Svitlana Oleshko (theatre director, Ukraine), Andrea Tompa (theatre academic & critic, Hungary), Marina Davydova (festival director & theatre expert, Russia) and Anja Susa (festival selector and theatre director, Serbia).

Chaired by: Barbora Schnelle (theatre academic and translator, Germany)

11.30 – 12.00: Coffee Break

12.00 – 1.30 pm: Aesthetic of Language

The texts of young female playwrights from Central and East Europe often are often characterised by drastic images and a “language of the streets”. Internal turmoil and aggression are manifestly transformed into creativity, and social criticism and political writing discover thereby an independent and literary tonality. Discussing this new aesthetic of language in contemporary drama by women from Central and East Europe – also with any eye to artistic tendencies in Germanlanguage contemporary drama – will be Dorota Maslowska (Poland), Nicoleta Esinencu (Moldova), Maja Pelevic (Serbia) and Nora Mansmann (Germany).

Chaired by: Insa Wilke (literature academic and journalist, Germany)

1.30 – 3pm: Lunch break

3pm – 4.30pm: Provocations

Young female playwrights from Central and East Europe reflect in their plays themes that are often taboo or provocative. To what extent do they, in so doing, either block or open up the reception of theatre in their countries and abroad? Is the scandal also sometimes consciously initiated and orchestrated? Which gender attributes does the theatre industry see itself as being generally confronted with? Why specifically is it in the field of theatre that women are presently so successful? Discussing these issues will be Marysja Nikitiuk (theatre critic, Ukraine), Jelena Kovacic (playwright, Croatia) and Anica Tomic (theatre director, Croatia).

Chaired by: Sabine Adler (Deutschland Radio Kultur)