Conference of the Absent

By Haug / Kaegi / Wetzel

There is a crisis! And in times of global crisis, it's all about global cooperation. Nevertheless, this time the crisis is being dealt with locally - on behalf of the world: at a conference that no one needs to book a flight or mount a train for. A performance to which the invited experts and speakers do not appear physically, but are represented by local people who only receive their script at the beginning of their presentation. In CONFERENCE OF THE ABSENT, the audience observes people from their own city as they take on the identity of an absent conference speaker.
 
Completely without CO2-emissions and bad Skype or Zoom connections, but with all the performative means of the theater, the contributions and contradicting theses on the consequences of globalization will be delivered into the theater space - and settle them within it.
 
The advantage of not being there - not having to be everywhere at all - becomes a joint play that can be experienced anew every evening. At the center of this game are people who become carriers of ideas and playfully acquire both biographies of experts as well as their thoughts. In this way, absence becomes an added value because it creates space for new enrollments and unexpected perspectives. Ghostwriters and speechwriters, co-authors and directors at the same time, Rimini Protokoll turns documentary co-authorship into remote directing.
 
 
Concept / Text / Direction: Helgard Haug, Stefan Kaegi, Daniel Wetzel 
Video- and Light design: Marc Jungreithmeier
Sound design: Daniel Dorsch
Research / Dramaturgy: Imanuel Schipper, Lüder Pit Wilcke
with the voice of: Nadja Stübiger
and thee prompting voices of: Henriette Hölzel, David Kosel, Hans-Werner Leupelt und Karina Plachetka
Cooperation political-cultural education: Dr. Werner Friedrichs
Production Management: Epona Hamdan
Production Management touring: Vera Nau, Monica Ferrari
Dramaturgy Assistance: Sebastian Klauke
Directing Assistance: Lisa Homburger and Maximilian Pellert
Stage Assistance: Maksim Chernykh
Production Assistance: Federico Schwindt
Technical Director Touring: Joscha Eckert, Bodo Gottschalk, Marc Jungreithmeier 
Sound Operator Touring: Aaron Ghantus, Fabian Tombers 

 

 
A production of Rimini Apparat
In co-production with Staatsschauspiel Dresden, Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen, HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin) and Goethe-Institut.
 
The concept creation was funded by the Federal Agency for Civic Education.
 
             
 
 
 
 
 
Belgrade (Serbia)
Serbian anchorvoice: Jelena Ilić
Serbian in ear voices: Jelena Ilić, Damjan Kecojević
Assistant director and production assistance: Ana Popovic
 
Brussels (Belgium)
French anchorvoice: Brigitte Cuvelier
French in ear voices: Lina Majdalanie, Stéphane Hugel  
English anchorvoice: Mmakgosi Kgabi
English in ear voices: Joschua Lerner, Melissa Holroyd
Dutch anchorvoice: Annemie Tweepenninckx
Dutch in ear voices: Joris Vergeyle, Renée Vervaet
Assistant director and production assistance: Nelson Pol Fliet
 
Lisbon (Portugal)
Portuguese anchorvoice: Maria Ana Freitas
Portuguese in ear voices: Marco Paiva, Nádia Yracema
Assistant director: Franzisco Frazão
Production assistance: José Madeira
 
Luxembourg
Assistant directors: Mahlia Theismann, Béatrice Paquet
Production assistance: Antonia Kohler
 
Madrid (Spain)
Spanish anchorvoice: Natalia Menéndez
Spanish in ear voices: Rubén Cano, Pilar Valenciano
Assistant director: Marlene Michaelis
Production assistance: Alicia Cabrera Díaz
 
Rome (Italy)
Italian anchorvoice: Lisa Lippi Pagliai
Italian in ear voices: Daniele Natali, Evelina Rosselli
Assistant director: Maura Teofili
Production assistance: Stefania Logiudice
 
Venice (Italy)
Italian anchorvoice: Lisa Lippi Pagliai
Italian in ear voices: Daniele Natali, Evelina Rosselli
Assistant director: Andrea Noce
Production assistance: Davide Giacometti
 
Prag (Czech Republic)
Czech anchorvoice: Kateřina Císařová
Czech in ear voices: Barbora Bočková, Václav Vašák
Assistant director and production assistance: Emil Rothermel
 
Santiago de Chile (Chile)
Spanish anchorvoice: Daniela Navarrete
Spanish in ear voices: Daniela Baeza Jofré, Esteban Alarcón
Assistant director: Carolina Pinto
 
Paris (France)
French anchorvoice: Brigitte Cuvelier
French in ear voices: Lina Majdalanie, Stéphane Hugel  
Assistant director: Christèle Ortu
Production assistance: Linus Gratte
 
Mexiko-City (Mexiko)
Spanish anchorvoice: Daniela Navarrete
Spanish in ear voices: Daniela Baeza Jofré, Esteban Alarcón
Assistant director: Karla Sánchez
Production assistance: Fausto Castaño
 
Seoul (South Korea)
Korean anchorvoice: Yeonhee Cho
Korean in ear voices: Unchul Baek, Ranhee Baek
Assistant director: Gyohee Baek
Production assistance: Seoul Performing Arts Festival
 
Berlin (Germany)
German anchorvoice: Nadja Stübiger
German in ear voices: Henriette Hölzel, David Kosel, Hans-Werner Leupelt and Karina Plachetka
English anchorvoice: Mmakgosi Kgabi
English in ear voices: Joschua Lerner, Melissa Holroyd
Assistant director: Linn Günther
Stage Design Collaboration: Gabi Bartels
 
Udine (Italy)
Italian anchorvoice: Lisa Lippi Pagliai
Italian in ear voices: Daniele Natali, Evelina Rosselli
Assistant director: Rita Maffei 
Production assistance: Sonia Brigandì
 
Istanbul (Turkey)
Turkish anchorvoice: Ayşe Draz
Turkish in ear voices: Hakan Emre Ünal, Nezaket Erden
Assistant director & production assistance: Melis Balaban
 
Hamburg (Germany)
Performance management: Stefanje Meyer
Collaboration stage design: Moritz Harms