War and Peace Program (2016)

18 – 30 OCT

War And peace

#warandpeace

Season 2016

18 – 30 OCT merlyn Theatre

Concept and Direction / Gob Squad Devised by / Niels Bormann, Katja Bürkle, Johanna Freiburg, Sean Patten, Damian Rebgetz, Tatiana Saphir, Sharon Smith, Berit Stumpf, Sarah Thom, Laura Tonke, Bastian Trost & Simon Will Melbourne cast / Sean Patten, Tatiana Saphir, Sharon Smith, Bastian Trost & Simon Will take turns to perform.

Sound Design / Jeff McGrory Video Design / Miles Chalcraft, Anna Zett Set Design / Romy Kießling Costume Design / Ingken Benesch Lighting Design / Andreas Rehfeld Dramaturgy / Johanna Höhmann, Christina Runge Production Management / Christina Runge Technical Management / Chris Umney, Max Wegner Artistic Assistant / Mat Hand, Lena Mody Directing Assistant / Yana Thönnes Costume Assistant / Lena Mody Set Design Assistant / Aleksandra Pavlovic Video Assistant / Iason Konstantinou Dramaturgy Assistant / Thorben Meißner Directing Interns / Katharina Joy Book, Lisa Käppler, Nora Strömer Costume Intern / Teresa Heiß Stage Design Intern / Hannah Wolf Gob Squad Interns / Aleksandra Jakubczak, Tom Healey Gob Squad Management / Eva Hartmann Gob Squad Management UK / Ayla Syveren

A co-production with Melbourne Festival.

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A NOTE FROM GOB SQUAD

A couple of years ago, German theatre producer Matthias Lilienthal approached Gob Squad with a challenge. Having worked with the group for more than 10 years, he wanted to produce something new. But since he was about to head one of Germany’s most prestigious theatres, he added an extra requirement: the work MUST have a BIG title.

Something that audiences would immediately recognise, something like Faust or King Lear.

Having worked as a collective for two decades on completely original happenings, performances and events, this was new for us.

We usually take places and ideas as starting points for our work, rather than books or plays. How much would we actually have to honour the work which gave us our title? What expectations would this create for an audience?

Choosing War and Peace appealed to us on many levels. The sheer absurdity of making a theatre performance from such a huge and famous book put a smile on our faces: who would dare such an impossible thing?

There is a naivety that flies in the face of the complex struggle of life, and reveals so much to us about the scale of humanity. In previous works like Revolution Now, Saving The World or Super Night Shot (performed a few years ago here in Melbourne) we plunged headlong into the impossible tasks we set ourselves, guided by our company motto of ‘Naïve Blind Faith’.

As we immersed ourselves into the world of War and Peace we quickly realized that to some extent Tolstoy himself was embracing the spirit of ‘Naive Blind Faith’. In an impressively rigorous and detailed way he attempts to understand connections between the circumstances of history and the actual fact of killing and violence.

Bewildering and impossible as this turns out to be, it is the attempt to fulfil this task that reveals so much: and in Tolstoy’s case has had so much subsequent impact.

This epic jumps between high society Russia (Peace) and the battlefields of the Napoleonic wars (War). When it was written, these wars were already decades in the past, and Tolstoy bases his fiction on historical documents and figures who actually participated in the conflicts. His rendition,

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We see a poetic quality in the attempt to fulfil an impossible task.

#warandpeace

Season 2016

Behind the scenes of War and Peace

Rather than trying to explain events with the benefit of hindsight, he traces causes and effects. Tolstoy paints a world where the intentions of people (whether they are strategies of war or feelings of love) manifest into the world in completely different and unexpected ways.

It is a complex set of conditions that coincide, moving the wheels of history in Tolstoy’s a grand narrative: to explain and rationalise the violence of men.

The high society salons of St Petersburg and Moscow that feature throughout the book particularly caught our attention.

Their privileged view of the world of politics, the rituals of status and power and their skewed perspective on what is happening on the battleground reflect something back to us of our contemporary position. In modern day Europe, plasma screens vie for our attention with a pot pourri of political gossip, horrific war stories and novelty entertainment.

Meanwhile, beyond our rehearsal room, the world intensifies in its political fragmentation, attempting to deal with the largest movement of populations since 1945. How can we make sense of this? Where should we get the information?

Are we obliged to look at these horrific images of war, of massacre and beheadings? And if so, what should we do about it?

And perhaps most importantly of all, WHO do we mean by ‘WE’ when we say ‘we’ in these impossible questions? In the struggle for answers, ‘we’ invite ‘you’ to our table.

Enjoy the salon.

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On the very first day of rehearsal we came up with the idea of a ‘salon’ of distinguished guests as a springboard into various games, improvisations and tasks. Another

fragment from early rehearsals that made the final cut is something that looks like a fashion show or the opening titles to a TV soap.

There are so many characters in the book that this seemed a good way to introduce them, and the frame of a fashion show also asserts a play about value and power in a very contemporary way.

These two building blocks emerged as the foundations for our approach to War and Peace.

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Season 2016

however, resists a dominant historical narrative or glorification: the head of Russia, Tsar Alexander, and Napoleon are mere ‘bit parts’ in the story.

#gonzo #warandpeace

Season 2016

We don’t get it. We truly can’t imagine what it was like. We can’t imagine how dreadful, how terrifying war is; and how normal it becomes.

Can’t understand, can’t imagine. That is what every soldier, and every journalist and aid worker and independent observer who has put time in under fire, and had the luck to elude the death that struck down others nearby, stubbornly feels.

And they are right.

—Susan Sontag from Regarding the Pain of Others

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Cast & CreativeS

Cast & CreativeS #warandpeace

Season 2016

Gob Squad is a seven headed monster, an arts collective with seven bosses. Gob Squad has a schizophrenic identity and a multiple split personality: hermaphrodite, binational and bilingual, both a patchwork family and a social utopia.

Gob Squad have been devising, directing and performing together since 1994, working where theatre meets art, media and real life.

For 20 years, Gob Squad have been searching for new ways to combine media and performance, producing stage shows, video installations, radio plays, interactive live films and urban interventions. The use of audio and video technology plays a prominent role in their work, with the result that alienated forms of intimacy have become a central theme. They try to scratch beneath the shiny, pixelated surface of the 21st century, seeking out the dark corners and hidden desires of contemporary culture.

Gob Squad was founded in 1994, while its members were still at Nottingham Trent and Giessen universities. Berlin has been the group’s creative home since 1999.

Core members are Johanna Freiburg, Sean Patten, Sharon Smith, Berit Stumpf, Sarah Thom, Bastian Trost

and Simon Will. Other artists are invited to collaborate on particular projects. The group is managed by Eva Hartmann.

Gob Squad’s international reputation has grown steadily since coming to prominence at documenta X in 1997. Their productions have been shown on all the continents apart from Antarctica. Projects such as Super Night Shot (2003), Gob Squad’s Kitchen (2007, winner of New York’s Drama Desk Award), Saving The World (2008, winner of the Goethe Preis at the Impulse Festival), Before Your Very Eyes (2011, selected for Germany’s Theatertreffen) and most recently Western Society (2013) have received wide acclaim.

MORE INFORMATION: www.gobsquad.com/faq Photo: Garrett Davis/Capture Imaging From left to right: Sharon Smith, Berit Stumpf, Sean Patten, Sarah Thom, Johanna Freiburg, Bastian Trost and Simon Will

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Always on the hunt for beauty amidst the mundane, they place their work at the heart of urban life: in houses, shops, underground stations, car parks, hotels or directly on the street, as well as in theatres and galleries. Everyday life and magic, banality and idealism, reality and entertainment are all set on a collision course and the unpredictable results are captured on video.

Motivated by a desire to elevate the everyday and empower audience members to step beyond their traditional role as passive spectators, Gob Squad set up often absurdly utopian scenarios where meaningful collective experience and genuine encounters involving passers-by and audience members are suddenly possible. Audiences seem to like the feeling that anything might happen during an evening with Gob Squad. They might be asked to dance, sing or even kiss one of the performers. They might play guitar in a band, play the part of a lover or liberator in a semi-improvised film, or be asked to explain the complexities of the world to an unknown future. Or they might just simply be asked to sit and bear witness to the organised chaos unfolding on stage before them.

ABOUT MALTHOUSE THEATRE

At Malthouse Theatre we collaborate with local and international artists to create inventive performances that cut to the core of the human experience.

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Theatre has the power to interrogate, disrupt and to be an agent of change—and we think it always should.

At Malthouse Theatre the work we produce explores the world personally, socially and politically.

Based in a dedicated venue, The Coopers Malthouse in Melbourne, we are a home for live experiences that entertain and provoke a dialogue with and within audiences.

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Season 2016

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

OUR pARTNERS

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Trusts and Foundations

Our supporters URANIA—MUSE OF THE STARS—$25,000+ Michele Levine, Mary-Ruth & Peter McLennan, Craig Reeves, Maureen Wheeler AO & Tony Wheeler AO CLIO—MUSE OF HISTORY—$10,000+ Roseanne Amarant, Annamila Fund, John & Lorraine Bates, Debbie Dadon AM, Colin Golvan QC, Janine Tai, The Vera Moore Foundation, Anonymous (1) THALIA—MUSE OF COMEDY—$5,000+ Richard Leonard & Gerlinde Scholz, Mary Vallentine AO, Anonymous (1) MELPOMENE—MUSE OF TRAGEDY—$2,500+ David Bardas, Dr Sian Fairbank, D.L. & G.S. Gjergja, Rosemary Forbes & Ian Hocking, Sue Kirkham, James Penlidis & Fiona McGauchie, Elisabeth & John Schiller, Dr Jenny Schwarz, Leonard Vary & Dr Matt Collins QC, Jason Waple, Jon Webster, Jan Williams, Tom Wright, Anonymous (1) EUTERPE—MUSE OF MUSIC—$1,000+ Frankie Airey & Stephen Solly, Chryssa Anagnostou & Dr Jim Tsaltas, Marc Besen AC & Eva Besen AO, John & Sally Bourne,

TERPSICHORE—MUSE OF DANCE—$500+ Graham & Anita Anderson, Michael Arnold, Rowland Ball OAM, Sandra Beanham, David & Rhonda Black, Ros Casey, Tim & Rachel Cecil, Marisa Cesario, Chris Clough, Alan Connolly, Mark & Jo Davey, Carolyn Floyd, Leonie Hollingworth, Brad Hooper, Dr Irene Irvine, Joan & Graeme Johnson OAM, Dr Irene Kearsey, Dr Angela Kirsner & Dr Richard Kirsner, Virginia Lovett, John McCallum, Ian McRae AO, Dr Kersti Nogeste, Linda Notley, Jan Owen AM, Robert Peters, Katherine Sampson, Barbara & Neil Smart, Toby Sullivan, John Thomas, PRODUCTION Photos David Baltzer Bildbuehne.de

Neil Waters, Phil & Heather Wilson, Anonymous (4) ERATO—MUSE OF LOVE—$250+ Simon Abrahams, Jennifer Bourke, Fiona Brook, John & Alexandra Busselmaier, Siu Chan, Diane Clark, Georgie Coleman, Patricia Coutts, Jason Craig, Kerryn Dickinson-Rowe, Brian Doyle, Orla & Rachel, Taleen Gaidzkar, Joanne Griffiths, Peggy Hayton, Sarah Hunt, Ann Kemeny & Graham Johnson, Mira & Dr David Kolieb, Robyn Lansdowne, Sally Lindsay, Kim Lowndes, Judith Maitland-Parr, Ian Manning & Alice De Jonge, John Millard, Susan Nathan, Paul Natoli, Tony Oliver, Kaylene O’Neill, Lynette and Clare Payne, Wendy Poulton, Gerard Powell, Gavin Roach, Rae Rothfield, Dr Michael & Jenny Rozen, Robert Sessions & Christina Fitzgerald, Dr Jill Sewell, Chris Teh, Lee-Ann Walsh, Jan Watson, Joanne Whyte, Barbara Yuncken Volunteers Malthouse Theatre would like to acknowledge the generous and ongoing support of our dedicated volunteers.

Design / Hours After hoursafter.com.au

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Marketing & Advertising / aka +61 3 8866 8335 aka-au.com

Sally Browne, Beth Brown & Tom Bruce AM, Ingrid & Per Carlsen, Min Li Chong, Robin Collier & Dr Neil Collier, Prof John Daley & Dr Rebecca Coates, Dominic & Natalie Dirupo, Roger Donazzan, Rev Fr Michael Elligate AM, Brian Goddard, Val Johnstone, Michael Kingston, James Ostroburski, Rosemary & Roger Redston, Carol & Alan Schwartz AM, Thea & Hayden Snow, Maria Solà, Gina & Paul Stuart, Fiona Sweet & Paul Newcombe, Kerri Turner & Andrew White, Rosemary Walls, Pinky Watson, Henry Winters, Anonymous (1)

Malthouse Theatre STAFF

Michele Levine (Chair), John Daley (Deputy Chair), Debbie Dadon AM, Colin Golvan QC, Michael Kantor, Jan Owen AM, Pamela Rabe, Nick Schlieper, Kerri Turner, Mary Vallentine AO & Leonard Vary.

Publicist / TS Publicity

Youth & Education Manager / Vanessa O’Neill

Graphic Design / Hours After Ticketing & Box Office CRM & Ticketing Manager / Prue Sutherland

Artistic & Programming

Box Office Manager / Gemma Cotterell

Artistic Director & Co-Ceo/ Matthew Lutton

Box Office Supervisor / Sam Yeo

Executive Producer & Co-Ceo / Sarah Neal

Box Office Staff / Abbey Barnes, Fiona Wiseman, Ian Michael, Jade Thomson, Jo Bassilios, Kate Gregory, Lauren White, Michelle Hines, Paul Buckley

Resident Dramaturg / Mark Pritchard Director in Residence / Janice Muller

Development Development Manager / Jayne Lovelock

Producer / Toby Sullivan

Development Coordinator / Belinda Locke

Associate Producer / Jason Tamiru

Production

Finance Manager / Mario Agostinoni Finance Administrator / Liz White General Manager / Amanda Macri Marketing & Communications Marketing & Communications Manager / Caraline Douglas

Workshop Manager / David Craig Technical Manager / Baird Mckenna Operations Manager / Dexter Varley

Deputy Workshop Manager / Goffredo Mameli Head Electrician / Stephen Hawker Venue Head Mechanist / Ivan Smith Head Of Wardrobe / Delia Spicer Theatre Technician / Nathanael Bristow

Communications Coordinator / Alex Sadka

Workshop Assistant / Elizabeth Whitten

Front of House Managers / Sean Ladhams & Anita Posterino

Front of House Staff / Jo Bassilios, Abi Murray, Alice Hill, Alice Dixon, Aly Grace, Amelia O’Brien, Amy Dowd, Andrew Foord, Anna Nalpantidis,Carissa Godwin, Daniel Moulds, Daniel Newell, Dirk Hoult, Emma Corbett, Fiona Moody Gem Clarke, Ian Mitchell, James Chantner, Jessi Lewis, Kate Calton, Kate Gregory, Kathryn Joy, Kirilie Blythman, Lara Kerestes, Lee Threadgold, Leon Rice-Whetton, Mark Hoffman, Matilda Woodroofe, Mitchell Brotz,Pamela Cupit, Sam Harrison, Sanne Rodenstein, Sophia D’Urso, Syrie Payne, Tanja George Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Committee

Uncle Jack Charles, Richard Frankland, Tony Briggs, Lisa Maza, Pauline Wyman, Melodie Reynolds-Diarra & Jason Tamiru Malthouse Theatre acknowledges we are on the Land of the Boon wurrung Peoples within the Kulin Nation.

U O B L ME STIVA FE —23 06 TOB OC

We’re proud to have partnered with Malthouse Theatre for over 25 years. www.festival.melbourne

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Digital Marketing Coordinator / Davey Simmons

Venue Manager / Aaron Rowlands

2016

Finance & Administration

Production Manager / David Miller

Venue Management

E N R U O B L E M STIVAL FE —23 06 TOBER OC

Resident Artist / Declan Greene

Company Manager / Alice Muhling

18 days of unmissable experiences this October

Education

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Season 2016

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

What’s happening next #gonzo #warandpeace

Season 2016

A street-smart satire that cashes in on cultural tourism.

scene & heard

BLAQUE SHOWGIRLS 11 NOV – 4 DEC

Blaque Showgirls / is not your standard sexploitation story.

Living in the rural backwater of ‘Chitole’ Ginny is a light skinned girl who dreams of becoming the best Aboriginal dancer in the glitzy clubs of Brisvegas. After bombing her Blaque Showgirls audition, Ginny begins to doubt that she’ll ever perform her ‘Peking Emu’ on stage.

That is, until the Asian hostess of the Kum Den shows her there’s more than one way to make a buck out of cultural tourism.

Ginny’s big break is just around the corner and there might be a bedazzled dot-painting jumpsuit in her colour after all.

Gob Squad is regularly funded 2015 - 2018 by the State of Berlin, Senatskanzlei - Kulturelle Angelegenheiten.

War and Peace is a production by Gob Squad and Münchner Kammerspiele. In coproduction with Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg- Platz Berlin, Schauspiel Leipzig, Konfrontacje Teatralne Festival Lublin, Lancaster Arts at Lancaster University, Malthouse Theatre and Melbourne Festival, Gessnerallee Zürich, Nottingham Playhouse and Teatro Stabile di Torino – National Theatre.

© Malthouse Theatre, the artists, designers, photographers, collaborators and contributors. All rights reserved, 2016.

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By / Nakkiah Lui Direction / Sarah Giles Cast Includes / Emi Canavan, Elaine Crombie, Bessie Holland & Guy Simon

That sword you see onstage was given to company member Sarah Thom by her grandfather, a collector of military memorabilia.

It’s a standard issue basic weapon given to all French troops during Napoleon’s time. Colloquially called a ‘cabbage cutter,’ it was used to prepare food as well as attack the enemy.

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