Ant Hampton / The Other People Someone Else
Looking back at Beursschouwburg's history, English performance maker Ant Hampton noticed that the arts centre often acts as some sort of ‘art catapult’: more interested in limits and crossing those limits by flinging ideas, questions and agents over its walls and into the city.
For this performance, Hampton further explores the boundaries of his autoteatro (1), experimental performances in which spectators participate by following precise instructions. He now takes it beyond instructions towards something like an assignment. Two audience-participants (you can be friends, colleagues, lovers, relatives…) find themselves realistically placed within an artificial conversation. That dialogue triggers a real conversation between two people who would otherwise never have spoken.
As part of PERFORMATIK 2017.
EN spoken
For two at a time
+/- 45 minutes
(1) For some time now, Hampton has been experimenting with performance settings in which the audience participates. A new kind of performance, in which members of the audience play a part, for each other. They are instructed what to do, what to say, etc., often through headphones. By simply following the instructions, an event falls into place. Autoteatro works are always automatic, and never involve any audience other than those taking part.
Concept & creation: Ant Hampton
Voices: Ana Wild, Diederik Peeters
Research: Lien Craps
Assistance: Hanne Libbrecht
Creative production: Katja Timmerberg
Commissioned: Beursschouwburg
Thanks to: Sarah Vanhee, Christophe Meierhans, Katja Dreyer, Anna Rispoli, David Helbich, David Weber-Krebs, Bart Capelle, Britt Hatzius, Richard Gregory.