Phénomena 2018 — Image Theatre
I love theatre, and I go often. But I’m annoyed by a heavy-handed approach, when devices are highlighted or when the audience is told the why and how. That’s what I call “theatre-soaps.” I like leaving room to the imagination, letting the audience connect the dots and fill in the gaps. I like when theatre flirts with the poetic, when images speak for themselves; it’s the reason I became interested in “image theatre”.
By image theatre I mean an approach that is built on collage and accumulation, a performance driven by poetic images: projections, tableaux vivants, object theatre, walking theatre, or installations. A performance based on ellipses and enigma, not directed by narration, where the story is told in part through images.
The artists we are presenting this year come from different disciplines, but they all share a desire to leave room for mystery and imagination. This varied and eclectic 7th edition of Phénomena achieves the festival’s goal of exploring and questioning disciplinary boundaries.
D. Kimm