Zamenhof Project: Breaking the Codes, by the young music theatre maker Jerzy Bielski, is a music theatre project inspired by the ideas and the life of Ludwik Zamenhof, the creator of the universal language Esperanto and promoter of world peace. In this large-scale interdisciplinary project Bielski constructs a world which surprises, challenges and confuses.
Zamenhof Project: Breaking the Codes is situated somewhere between a concert, a museum visit and a theatre or dance production. The international cast, consisting of actors, musicians and dancers who between them speak seven languages, involves the audience in an exploration of communication (or miscommunication) and language. And the audience will not stay seated the whole time, but will be free to discover the space and installations together with the performers.
Polish-born Bielski has been artist in residence with Gaudeamus since 2017. As a young maker theatre-maker he is given space there in which to develop his expressive music theatre works. Zamenhof Project: Breaking the Codes is a coproduction of Stichting Futurists and Gaudeamus.
On Sunday 8 September this performance will be repeated in Kelmis. Kelmis is a small village that used to be part of Moresnet, which in the early 20th century was a small neutral country in Limburg, bordering Belgium, where for a while Esperanto was spoken. Gaudeamus is organizing an all-inclusive bus journey with an Esperanto workshop en route.
PAY ATTENTION: Strobe lighting effects and very low and loud bass sounds will be used during the performance.
NB: This concert ends at 21:45, not at 23:00 as was communicated in the programme book.
CREATIVE TEAM:
Jerzy Bielski – concept, music, text, movement, audio, video, scenography, artistic leader
Sandra Abouav (France) – choreography
Laura Jakschas (Germany) – stage direction
Karolina Maksimowicz (Poland) – costumes, scenography, sound installations
Felix de Bousies (Belgium/Greece) – video, sound installations
PERFORMERS:
Akim Moiseenkov (Netherlands) – vocalist/instrument builder/musician
Claire Malchrowicz (France) – vocalist/dancer
Eva Layla Schipper (Netherlands) – vocalist/actor
Pawel Chomczyk (Poland) – vocalist/actor
Kirstine Lindemann (Denmark) – vocalist/musician
Richard Dubelski (France) – vocalist/musician
Felix de Bousies (Belgium/Greece) – performer
Tatiana Rosa (Netherlands) – live electronics, audio, audio & video cues
Tim Sabel – pre-pared piano, MIDI-keyboard [Asko|Schönberg – K[h]AOS]
Noè Rodrigo Grisbert – percussion, drum kit [Asko|Schönberg – K[h]AOS]
Jerzy Bielski – guitars
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT:
Matthijs Mantel
Photo © Aaron Holloway-Nahum