Sofia, Bulgaria — The Red House Center for Culture and Debate “Andrey Nikolov” launches Next Stage Level, a stage performance festival exploring the use of innovative technologies and audience participation in theatre entertainment. The festival features five shows and includes discussions on the use of technology and audience participation in entertainment.
Next Stage Level Programme
Happy Beckett
26,28 March Happy Beckett An interactive performance inspired by the Samuel Beckett play Happy Days. Created by Mariy Rosen.
Instead of the original text by Beckett, the performance uses texts provided by the audience on that particular evening. To become a playwright, each of the 25 viewers must visit the site happybeckett.com, choose a date, complete a questionnaire, and only then buy a ticket at The Red House. Each performance has its own original dramatic language, but the structure always remains the same. The aim is to achieve the arrangement of a multicoloured mandala to be scattered by the wind at the end. The active prior participation of the audience is necessary for this format to work.
Idea and directing: Mariy Rosen
Dramaturgy: Mariy Rosen and Anna Valchanova
Stage design and costumes: Petya Boyukova
Music: Konstantin Tymoshenko
Starring: Anna Valchanova, Mariy Rosen, Petya Boyukova, Konstantin Tymoshenko
26 and 28 March: 19:30-21:00
In Bulgarian.
Tickets: 15/12 BGN
Dior in Moscow
Dior in Moscow is a dance and theatre performance by Lithuanian artists Agnija Šeiko and Ingrida Gerbutavičiūtė with the participation of Bulgarian artist Albena Baeva. In 2017, it was nominated for the Lithuanian national award “Golden Cross” and the “Klaipeda” Alternative Theatre Prize. It has been shown at festivals in Berlin, Kiev and Prague and has been part of the programme of Tanzmesse in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The performance explores the transformation of the definition of femininity in post-socialist societies and is based on the article “Socioeconomic Conditions and Discursive Construction of Women’s Identities in Post-Soviet Countries” by Aneta Pavlenko, as well as on different interviews with women from Lithuania and the Czech Republic taken by the artists. The performance will be followed by a discussion with the authors about the changing roles of women in the period of post-communist transition, to this day.
28 March: 19:00-21:00
The performance and the discussion will be in English.
Entrance: 12/10 BGN
Low Cost
The newest documentary performance of talented young playwright Stefan Prochorov has an unusual format: promenade theatre. Spectators turn into tourists and travel through all Red House spaces, in each one participating in various tourist experiences: they choose between free Sofia tours, travel back in time to socialism, taste typical Bulgarian products and even party at Sunny Beach.
Created on the basis of documentary materials – interviews with workers in the tourism sector and representatives of various institutions, such as Sofia Municipality, the Ministry of Tourism, etc., the performance gradually leads to an open discussion with the audience about the image of Bulgaria as a tourist destination and explores themes crucial to EU policies. The performance has been adapted for an English-speaking audience.
4 April: 19:00
5 April: 18:00 and 20:00
6 April: 18:00 and 20:00
In Bulgarian and English.
Tickets: 12/10 BGN
RE_SONANCE
In the performance RE_SONANCE the connection between the instrument and the performer is transformed into a partnership that grows into an unpredictable musical duet. The communication between the body of the performer and the piano is established through a bioelectronic acoustic instrument called SOMAPHONE designed specifically for the project by performer Antoni Rayzhekov – a Bulgarian artist, teacher and IT specialist.
SOMAPHONE is connected to the piano through sensors for vibration. Meanwhile, a miniature wireless application is attached to Rayzhekov’s body and measures his emotional and physical reactions – pulse rate, body movement, muscle tension – and, based on that, the sound changes. SOMAPHONE was nominated by Music Tech Fest 2016 in Berlin, Germany, for high achievements and innovations in the music industry and sound art.
SOMAPHONE is an open project. The software аnd the necessary information for replicating it has been published and can be accessed for free in order to enable the creation of bioelectronic instruments and help the development of contemporary electronic and performing arts The performance will be followed by a discussion with the audience about the use of new media in the performing, visual and sound arts.
12 April: 19:00-20:30
In Bulgarian.
Entrance FREE.
World Domination, volume I: Furie
The interactive concerts of the Dutch trio Tin Men and the Telephone (Tony Roe on the piano, Pat Cleaver on the bass, Borislav Petrov on the drums) allow the audience to influence the performance in different ways: they can vote for the band to play “weird”, “psychedelic”, “nervous” or to “take a break”, as well as send rhythms that the musicians use to improvise compositions on the spot, and many others. This happens through the Tinmendo mobile application, which practically functions as a remote control for controlling the musicians. Download the Tinmendo App [iOS] [GooglePlay]
In Bulgaria, the trio will present its new album World Domination, volume 1: Furie – a fun and provocative look at the modern world through the lens of fake news. Furie is an abbreviation for Federal Union for Restoring Intergalactic Equilibrium: an alien peace force sent to Earth to prevent the rise of populism by kidnapping populists and despots and sending them to exile on other planets. The music is a combination of acoustic jazz and futuristic electronic sounds composed on the basis of speeches by leaders. During the show, the audience will be able to choose politicians to be kidnapped by the aliens and will collectively compose a new world anthem that the band will play on the spot. You can hear some of the music and give kidnapping ideas now here: http://tinmendo.com/furie/.
To interact with the trio during the show, you need to download the free Tinmendo app, which is available for iPhone and Android. See below how it works.
29 May: 19:00-21:30
In English.
Tickets: 12/10 BGN
Next Stage Level Venue Details
All performances held at the Red House.
The Red House for Culture and Debate “Andrey Nikolov”
15 Ljuben Karavelov Street
Sofia 1142
Bulgaria
Telephone: +1 359 (0)2 988-8188
Mobile Telephone: +1 359 (0)885 828 532
Email: [email protected]
Next Stage Level was created and organized by the Red House for Culture and Debate “Andrey Nikolov” with financial support from the Sofia Municipality Culture Programme.
