NEWSLETTER   #03-2008

Leipzig, 16.12.2008

Dear Colleagues and Friends,
dear Sir or Madam,

At the end of the year we would like to look back on the last euro-scene Leipzig 2008 and give you a little preview to the Festival 2009. We hope to arouse your curiosity and to welcome you again next year.

The team of the euro-scene Leipzig wishes you a Merry Christmas and a continued good health, energy and luck for the year 2009.

Ann-Elisabeth Wolff

Festival Director

The euro-scene Leipzig took place from 04 to 09 November 2008 for the 18th time. Under the motto »Taumelnd auf glatter See« (»Floundering on a calm sea«), the festival of contemporary European theatre was dedicated to the opposite of a smooth surface and to the disasters concealed beneath. All in all 12 guest plays from 8 countries were shown in 22 performances and 9 theatre venues. About 7.500 spectators saw the performances of main and fringe programme with an utilisation of 96.2%.

One highlight was the work show of the known choreographer Josef Nadj, who was born in former Yugoslavia and has been head of the Centre chorégraphique national d’Orléans since 1995. He fascinated the audience with his three productions »Entracte« (»Interval«), »Journal d’un inconnu« (»Diary of an unknown«) and »Woyzeck». The work show also included the exhibition »Les corneilles« (»The crows«) with drawings by Josef Nadj and two of his films. Further German premieres were The Collective of Natural Disasters, Budapest, Quasi stellar dance company, Athens, and the theatre Danny & Dessi from the Bulgarian Haskovo. The audience acclaimed with standing ovation »pitié!« (»Have mercy!«) by Alain Platel & Fabrizio Cassol, Ghent.

The extensive fringe programme 2008 with films and discussions was presented in the new festival café Telegraph. Shown were, among others, the films »Woyzeck« by Werner Herzog with Klaus Kinski, dance films under the caption »The quiet before the storm», chosen and presented by Dr. Janine Schulze, and »Dance and ecstasy – Alain Platels ›vsprs‹«. This film was preceded by a discussion with Alain Platel, presented by Michael Freundt, Berlin. Takao Baba, member of the company E-Motion, Dusseldorf, gave a HipHop workshop. Besides, the numerous audience discussions subsequent to the performances were received with great interest, as in the years before.

»Dornröschen – Hinter der Dornenhecke« (»Sleeping Beauty – Behind the thorn hedge«) by Werner Stiefel, a production of the euro-scene Leipzig, will be shown again in public after a lengthy break in Leipzig on Sunday, 14th and 21st December 2008, at 03:00 p.m., at the Alte Börse / Naschmarkt. The play, suitable for children 5 years and older and based on the fairytale of the Brothers Grimm, combines dance, music and puppet show. Tilo Augsten plays the piano live. Tickets: tel. 0341-980 02 84 / email: tickets@euro-scene.de / at the festival office, Gottschedstr. 16, and 1 hour prior to the performances.

The euro-scene Leipzig will take place from 03 to 08 November 2009 for the 19th time. It will show approx. 12 guest plays from 10 countries in about 8 venues and 20 performances as well as an extensive fringe programme. Patron of the festival is Burkhard Jung, Lord Mayor of the city of Leipzig. The festival programme will be available as from early July 2009 under www.euro-scene.de.

The competition »Das beste deutsche Tanzsolo« (»Best German dance solo«) in the conception by Alain Platel, Ghent, will be held for the 9th time within the festival. The request for applications will follow in May 2009.

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Content and editing: Ann-Elisabeth Wolff / Beate Dietrich
English translation: Susanne Saalfeld
Photographers: Séverine Charrier, Orléans, Rolf Arnold, Leipzig, Georg Schreiber, Essen
Graphic design: Dirk Baierlipp, Hanau – fertigungsbureau.de
Editorial deadline: 15.12.2008

Presenter: Sächsischer Verein zur Förderung des kulturellen Austauschs nationaler und internationaler Tanz- und Theatergruppen e.V.

euro-scene Leipzig, Gottschedstraße 16, D-04109 Leipzig,
phone +49 (0)341-980 02 84 // fax +49 (0)341-980 48 60
info@euro-scene.de // www.euro-scene.de