Research into political violence in theatre today

Immersed in a frenetic process of globalisation, there are many forms of violence in contemporary societies. As Slavoj Žižek notes, violence is omnipresent in every political organisation today, from dictatorships to parliamentary democracies. The former employ State-sanctioned terrorism while the latter, more subtle mechanisms, like lawfare. In both Latin American and Europe, neo-fascist or extreme-right movements are emerging and causing great concern. To a greater or lesser degree, these socio-political phenomena are reflected in the theatre of these areas.

At faberllull Olot, we propose creating a space to share, debate and reflect on the performing arts and contemporary shows that deal with the theme of political violence. Several Latin American and European researchers will meet for this residency, sharing their research on their respective regions and theatre cultures, debating the theories the research is based on and commenting on recent texts or shows dealing with the topic. The residency also aims to lay the groundwork for a productive collaboration both in the theatre research and academic arenas among researchers and groups from Europe and Latin America. We want to build bridges of dialogue and intercontinental exchange to compare plays and realities in theatre, culture and politics in order to better understand them and, then, help raise awareness.

Participants in this residency, from Argentina, Catalonia, Colombia, France, Italy and Peru, hope to analyse how the theatre scenes in Latin America and Europe have dealt with political violence in their texts and performances. We are particularly interested in looking for similarities and differences, the theatre aesthetics of each scene and how they are linked to the political dimension of the performing arts. So, we are inviting writers, performing arts professionals, historians and researchers working in the lines described to participate in the activities we've scheduled.

* This residence does not accept applications.