100% Copenhagen

By Haug / Kaegi / Wetzel

On December 31st 2012 562.253 people were registered in Copenhagen. 22,2% of them were foreigners, 51% women and 8% were registered unemployed. In contrast to that, 31% of the 16 – 64 year old citizens have a higher educations, 68% of them vote left of the middle, and 32% show risky alcohol behavior.
Statistics gathers people and pack them into pieces of pie, into bars and curves that are used for political argumentation, campaigns, the creation of economic strategies and trends
What if those statistics had faces? What would it look like if Copenhagen were represented by 100 people, a select population capable of making statistically relevant statements? How many of them want the cars out of town, and how many have cars how many are in favour of all-day schools, how many of them have saved a life and how many go both to Distortion and the Ballet?
Now 100 Copenhageners file onto the revolving stage at the Royal Theater. Initially, just one of these people was chosen – an expert for reflecting the complex body of our population with numbers. This first person initially had 24 hours to recommend the next, who had 24 hours to recruit the next, and so on.
Each participant was chosen according to five statistical criteria that reflect Copenhagen’s demographics from census data: age, ethnicity, family composition, residential location, sex.
At first, this casting process was easy. But with each passing day, the stakes increased. As the various statistical categories began to fill up, the chances of finding people who could occupy the remaining categories became more remote. Gaps had to be filled, new connections established, some people could only be found through newspaper ads and networking. But now, around four months later, these 100 interconnected Copenhageners are performers of presenting themselves and they are percentage points, representing 5622.53 other Copenhageners in the meantime, that is, 1% of Copenhagen. Together, these 100 people represent a demographic profile of Copenhagen. A series of statistical groupings enacted onstage, like a giant pie chart brought to life, a mass that embodies the city, a choir that hasn't studied any songs, a survey construction that is continually reconfigured in to new group situations, ephemeral portraits of belonging and antagonisms, a parliament of residents, a geometric body with 100 heads on 100 m² of stage.
Working with Berlin's acclaimed theatre makers Rimini Protokoll, these 100 citizens have created a living, breathing portrait of Copenhagen: part theatre, part reality, and 100% Copenhagen.

DURATION 100 min.
AGE from 10 years
SUPPORT The Royal Theatre, Statens Scenekunstskole and Goethe-Institut Dänemark

With 100 Copenhageners

Rimini Protokoll:
Concept & directors: Helgard Haug / Stefan Kaegi / Daniel Wetzel
Light- and videodesign & technical director: Marc Jungreithmeier
Live-band: Girls in Airports

Københavns Internationale Teater:
Project coordinator: Maya Nydal Eriksen
Technical director: Nils Engelbrecht
Research: Sofie Henningsen & Trine Søgaard Parmo Krog
Translation: Birgitte Curry

The Royal Danish Theatre:
Director of guest performances: Annette Berner
Coordinator of guest performances: Karsten Kruse Pudselykke
Stage manager: Rasmus Clausen
Light: Michael Franch
Sound: Karsten Wolstad, Claus Dohn & Jonas Jensen
Stage technicians: crew B

The Danish National School of Performing Arts:
Production dramaturge: Miriam Frandsen
Assistant directors: Henrik Grimbäck & Viktor Tjerneld
Sound assistants: Inuk Thomsen & Magnus Hansen
Assistant stage manager: Anna Dyrby

100% Copenhagen

By Haug / Kaegi / Wetzel

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