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ErosAntEros – POLIS Teatro Festival enters again the national network L’Italia dei Visionari, a project promoted jointly by CapoTrave / Kilowatt (Sansepolcro AR), Festival Le Città Visibili (Rimini), Progetto Fertili Terreni Teatro (Torino), Pilar Ternera/NTC (Livorno) e Ass. Cult. Madame Rebinè / Ricò (San Quirino PN).

Every year a call is launched for individual artists and emerging and independent companies that operate professionally in contemporary theater, dance and performing arts.

CALL FOR ARTISTS 2025

There is time until November 13th 2024 (12 p.m.).

ErosAntEros is looking for an organizational-administrative figure for its company activities and for POLIS Teatro Festival.

Voicing the Unspoken: A Monologue Inspired by Brecht
李慧 Li Hui, May 28th 2024

Contribution created as part of the workshop OBSERVING THE CATASTROPHE, led by Tom Mustroph during POLIS 2024, thanks to the collaboration with Dipartimento di Beni Culturali dell’Università di Bologna and in particular with the Master’s program in International Cooperation on Human Rights and Intercultural Heritage.

“Disembodied noises emerging from the shadow, photographs with woman protesting on the street, red hoods over the monologue artist–these are the images that linger most from ErosAntEros’s latest production, “On The Difficulty of Telling the Truth” at the Polis Festival in Rasi Teatro, Ravenna.

This theatrical performance intertwines art, politics, and truth, blending sound, voice, and live performance to breathe life into Bertolt Brecht’s seminal essay “Writing the Truth: Five Difficulties.” Far beyond a mere play, it emerges as a vivid and dynamic political manifesto resonating deeply in today’s socio-political climate.

Drawing inspiration from Brecht’s 1934 essay, crafted amidst the chaotic aftermath of Hitler’s ascent to power, ErosAntEros transforms Brecht’s strategic guide for truth-telling into a 60-minute long theatrical narrative. Featuring the stage presence of Agata Tomsic and the live electronics of Davide Sacco, the production encapsulates Brecht’s core message: the indispensable virtues of courage, keenness, skill, judgment, and cunning in the pursuit of truth.

ErosAntEros employs Walter Benjamin’s “citation” technique, weaving threads of the past into the present tapestry to illuminate contemporary issues. This method transcends mere homage, offering a vibrant recontextualization that implores the audience to contemplate current realities and the enduring struggle against oppression and falsehood.

Agata Tomsic’s performance is nothing short of mesmerizing. Her mastery of voice modulation and facial expressions crafts a compelling and immersive experience. Tomsic effortlessly traverses various emotional landscapes, embodying the resilience needed to confront truth in the face of adversity. Her dynamic presence captivates the audience, fostering engagement and reflection throughout the performance.

A particularly memorable scene is when Agata Tomsic dons a red hood and uses a handheld speaker to yell out her lines. I tried to look at the English translation on the prompter to understand her words better, but I couldn’t avert my eyes from her. The raw emotion in her voice transcended the language barrier. Her cry for the truth to be told was palpable, resonating deeply with the audience and underscoring the universal struggle against deceit and suppression.

Davide Sacco’s live electronics provide an atmospheric backdrop, at times haunting, to the performance. The sound design enriches the thematic depth of the play, with electronic distortions and live manipulations underscoring the urgency of Brecht’s words. The synergy between Tomsic’s voice and Sacco’s soundscape creates a sensory journey, heightening the narrative impact.

The use of historical figures Confucius and Jonathan Swift illustrates the cunning required to disseminate truth by reinterpreting history. This clever manipulation serves as a poignant reminder of the power of language and narrative in shaping political realities.

Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” is a well-documented satirical pamphlet from 1729 that used extreme irony to criticize British exploitation of Ireland and to shock the audience into recognizing the severity of the situation. Swift’s method was indeed a cunning way to highlight and critique social and economic issues.

However, a deeper examination towards Confucius reveals an intriguing ambiguity. Despite my efforts to pinpoint a historical reference to “Ruler Kun” (in Brecht’s text ‘Ruler Hun’) mentioned in the play, none align with rulers during Confucius’ era (鲁襄公 (Lu Xianggong), 鲁昭公 (Lu Zhaogong), 鲁定公 (Lu Dinggong), and 鲁哀公 (Lu Aigong)). Also, the specific act of altering historical records in the manner described by Brecht is not documented. Yet, using historical figures in theater while taking creative liberties is a common practice. Perhaps the writer blends historical facts with fiction to serve his pedagogical goals, or maybe it is a deliberate challenge to the audience to discern the truth. I do not have a definite answer for that.

What I do know for certain is that art can be a discourse too. Just like how it’s portrayed in the monologue: “That is exactly what artistic creation is about: making something important.” When talking about discourse, people immediately think about how development reflects power relations in politics, but rarely about art. For the longest time, art has been seen as a source of comfort and relief, providing a refuge from the harsh realities of life or an oasis with therapeutic benefits. Even when one thinks of art as a means to convey truth, it often relates to personal and emotional truths, like Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits. But I never thought of art as a discourse involving power relations, which is especially true with theater. To be more specific, I think deep down I knew this to be true but had forgotten how powerful art can be in telling the truth since I’ve been marinated in Chinese theater for so long, which is all about literatry and immagination and does not portray power relations in the political status quo.

“On The Difficulty of Telling the Truth” emerges as a bold political statement, urging audiences to grapple with the complexities of truth-telling in a world tainted by oppression and suppression. As I watched Agata Tomsic’s performance with Davide Sacco’s soundscapes, I was reminded of the enduring power of theater to challenge, provoke, and inspire. This production didn’t just tell a story; it sparked a personal reflection on my own perceptions of truth and the role of art in our lives.

Having been immersed in Chinese theaters, which often lean towards escapism, this experience was a stark reminder of how potent and transformative theater can be when it tackles pressing social issues head-on. ErosAntEros’s daring approach made me reconsider the boundaries of art and its capacity to influence and reflect our socio-political realities. It was a deeply moving and thought-provoking experience that I won’t soon forget. It reignited my belief in the power of art to not only provide solace but also to serve as a powerful discourse, challenging us to confront the uncomfortable truths of our world.”

POLIS Teatro Festival 2024 has ended, successfully overcoming another challenge: it has consolidated itself as a festival of international contemporary theater, putting a German Focus at the center, but always keeping alive the festival’s participatory soul, which sees the spectators and their active involvement at the center.

Thank you to all the people who have been with us and supported us!

Here some photo by Dario Bonazza.


PROLOGUE – Wednesday, April 24th 2024


DAY #1 – Tuesday, May 7th 2024


DAY #2 – Wednesday, May 8th 2024


DAY #3 – Thursday, May 9th 2024


DAY #4 – Friday, May 10th 2024


DAY #5 – Saturday, May 11th 2024


DAY #6 – Sunday, May 12th 2024

Here the final video of POLIS 2024.

Thanks again to all the people who were with us for this seventh edition of the festival.

Enjoy your viewing!

Truth as a weapon
Maria Leskova, May 18th 2024

Contribution created as part of the workshop OBSERVING THE CATASTROPHE, led by Tom Mustroph during POLIS 2024, thanks to the collaboration with Dipartimento di Beni Culturali dell’Università di Bologna and in particular with the Master’s program in International Cooperation on Human Rights and Intercultural Heritage.

“Coincidence of chance and luck brought me to POLIS Teatro Festival in Ravenna on Friday night (10/05/2024). Just another proof that coincidences do not exist as what I saw captured my mind and spirit.

ErosAntEros’ 45-minute performance is based on an essay by Bertolt Brecht written back in 1934. Almost a century had passed, however its meanings are still worth revisiting. History repeats itself, or as one famous historian put it “history is not a teacher but a supervisor – it does not teach, but does punish severely for not learning the lessons”. [история не учительница, а надзирательница, она ничему не учит, но строго наказывает за невыученные уроки]

It was a one actress performance, where Agata Tomsic seemed like as if she was leading the audience to the truth by hand, but at the same time staying a mere narrator. Her deep voice went into extremes from being nice & soft to almost singing & screaming with a Joker-like smile. Her background, lights and music at times felt irritating or disturbing, giving an uncomfortable vibe of a dark techno rave. It made me note that, if ‘comfort zone’ or ‘daily life’ inside propaganda and capitalism shall sound like a fake harmony, then the search and battle for the truth ‘against the system’ shall definitely sound and feel as scary and unpleasant as the scenery was at some points.

Coming from a foreign theatre culture, I appreciated this performance for the taste of completeness – the actress, the music, the background, the darkness, the lights – all of its elements acted as one to my eye. As one famous director might have said, I believed it.

Photos by Michele Lapini projected on the background resonated with the performed essay, in a way persuading the audience to think critically of the ‘paradise’ within ‘democratic–capitalistic’ world. Truth-seeking process described in the text can not only be attributed to Germany in late 1930s, but shall be continued today and tomorrow. Therefore, images were transmitting their own silent message, opening the dirty ‘other side’ of Italian dolce vita. While someone peacefully drinks their espresso, someone has to fight for their truth on the same streets.

Watching the performance, I was fascinated by all the levels of meanings it has to offer. I found myself crying several times and I was grateful to this performance for leading me to reflect on what I am currently going through [as someone who seeks the truth and ways to tell it] and what my country is going through [as a place of thriving propaganda and oppression].

Before certain events, when civil society still had its quiet voice and could have still been seen in action on the streets, people used to call protests “walks” and used to invite each other “for a walk” on specific squares of their cities on certain days. It was always inspiring and painful to see thousands of people gathering to silently walk down the same streets in small groups – visually divided, but connected by common political dreams. Everyone knew why they came to those places while faking that it was not a conscious choice as they were “just walking”. Silence and peacefulness of this action was always surrounded by troops of “cosmonauts” and metal fences. Once in a while chant could have been heard somewhere in the crowd, which only attracted “cosmonauts” making people wonder if the voice will be arrested or not.

One of the messages of the performed old writing was that knowledge is power and truth is a weapon that needs courage and intelligence to be told. Year by year there are more and more legal constrains making citizens of my country to plunge into silence faking that they are “not interested in politics” while propaganda is brainwashing. A great deal of precedents has occurred with people being prosecuted for exercising arts, doing science, journalism, activism, humor or ‘vandalizing’ walls with street art. None is safe until silent, when even a reposted meme can be used against you.

If knowledge is power, I egoistically consider myself overeducated and I cannot erase my memory or unsee things that I see at home. Sometimes I cry reading about certain events from the history of my country. What frightens me the most is her present. This fear and all of my knowledge are what makes me move forward in search for the truth and channels to communicate it.

When I was a kid, they used to make a joke saying “if you’ll know too much, you’ll be upset”. [будешь много знать, расстроишься]

I am already upset and I have no way back.”

THIS IS WHERE HISTORY IS MADE
Anna Bandettini in her newsletter “Post Teatro – La Repubblica”, May 3rd 2024

“The other festival is POLIS, a small miracle: born in Ravenna in 2018 with a daring and corsair spirit, it has grown very fast in its non-trivial focus on independent artists and companies and in the international relations it puts in place, this year with a focus on contemporary theater from the German speaking area, inspired in part by the recent staging of Bertolt Brecht’s St. Joan of the Stockyards by the ErosAntEros collective i.e. Davide Sacco and Agata Tomsic, the festival’s organizing tandem. […]”

POLIS Teatro Festival on air on Radio Popolare within the program CULT, curated by Ira Rubini.

PODCAST to listen the presentation of the festival by Agata Tomšič. From min. 21 and 12 sec.

On April 22nd at 12 pm, at Artificerie Almagià, was held the POLIS 2024 press conference.

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