6 people on stage, 6 stories about silence. There is the story of the aunt who is always silent. The mother who doesn't want anyone to know that the father has left the family. A father who never calls back and the grandmother who talks about the escape until she stops dreaming about it. Family stories from Rwanda, Germany and Korea. Curious, funny, unexpected, sad stories, unknown stories and some you think you know very well.
The Ishyo Arts Center from Kigali/Rwanda and the HELIOS Theatre from Hamm are working together for the second time on a theatre production for young audiences. An ensemble consisting of directors, actors, set designers and musicians spent a year in Rwanda and Germany working on a theatre play about silence.
Many conversations during the collaboration dealt with the specific history of Rwanda and Germany and its impact on people to this day. It is about taboos: social taboos, family taboos, stories that are spoken about and kept silent. Taboos ‘regulate’ coexistence, there are taboos that are essential for survival, as well as taboos that are nothing more than a means of exerting pressure, a ban, discrimination.
Talking about Silence’ is accompanied by a film documentary in which the participants talk about the work process, excerpts from the production can be seen, as well as snapshots with the audience in Rwanda.
The film documentary can be found here.
Follow-up conversation after the performance on 8 May at 11 am
Performing: Andersonne Uwineza, Kenny Mirasano, Claudia Shimwa, Minju Kim, Felix Breuel, Tamara Hermanns
Production: Carole Karemera, Barbara Kölling
Text: Steffen Moor and team
Stage: Michael Lurse
Technology: Malte Kochanek, Benjamin Kurz
Theatre pedagogy: Christina Stöcker
Supported by: TURN2 Fund of the Federal Cultural Foundation
Who is allowed to remain silent today? Do I constantly have to take a stand, make a statement – especially now, in view of the current world situation? What if I just say nothing? Who is interested in my opinion? I am not a public person; I just want to live in peace. But is that even possible these days?
Helios Theater and Ishyo Arts Center are addressing the uncomfortable silence between us at just the right time in ‘Talking about Silence’ – a silence that we can no longer afford to ignore. This English-language co-production from Rwanda and Germany demands that theatre be taken seriously. Six actors are on stage and tell biographical stories from their childhoods in which silence played a role. We immediately recognise ourselves in such personal experiences and remember our own car journeys that were shrouded in an uncomfortable silence.
With poetic texts and impressive performers, the piece reveals how differently silence can work: silence is power, silence is a weapon, silence is uncomfortable – and it can be broken.
It becomes visible how deeply silence is rooted in us, as a survival instinct, as a generational trauma that must finally be broken. Silence highlights the ambivalence of silence: silence can be threatening, but it is also necessary to really listen.
This piece challenges us to speak up – it is a warning against silence. The piece makes you want to speak up and be active at a time when it is more necessary than ever.
Alicia Ulfik
Content warnings: Emotional content such as experiences of flight, war, poverty, loss of an attachment figure and generally dealing with traumatic experiences are addressed.
Sensory stimuli: Loud noises are created by drumming.