From the outset the left-wing Russian artists’ collective, Chto Delat? (What is to be done?) realized performances for public spaces and on stage parallel to their exhibitions and activist and intellectual activities. Recently they developed a didactic series of stylistic exercises, such as What Struggle Do We Have In Common? in the London ICA, Where has Communism gone? in the Amsterdam SMART project space and ‘How can you be at home in an alien world?’ together with the Ultra Red Collective during the SKOR conference in Amsterdam.

These performances or ‘learning plays’ are created in a workshop with all participants in a continuous process. The source of inspiration for their working method is Bertolt Brecht and the ideology behind his learning plays. For their Beursschouwburg performance, Chto Delat? will go a step further with their practice and the interaction between the audience and workshop participants. With alienation through song, dance, video and an open debate, Chto Delat? aims in their new work to arrive at an analysis of broad ideas of representation and the inclusion of real events. Together with the audience and performers they attempt to investigate what is real and what is fictitious and how reality is produced from the fictitious. Chto delat? also continues in this new vocal piece their epic battle between past and present, the possible and impossible, utopia and tumult in the world.