Master student Augusto Pedraza made a theatre piece with violence as a main topic. He wanted to do a trilogy of this: a performance, a movie and a theatre play. In this way he aimed to emphasize the normalization of violence in the lives of people in possible worlds and specifically on physical violence. And also explore the three parts: the victim, the perpetrator and the persecutor.
Why did you want to tell this story?
Augusto: "It all started from personal experiences related to this topic, experiences of people who grew up to me and news and images that have stayed in my mind and have not managed to get out and continue to throb in my memory. Somehow exorcised this episode of my life."
How did the creation process go?
Augusto: "It was a process of eight months of research and creation of these three worlds/works. I started filming a short film with people from RITCS in fiction cinema, because I wanted to establish contact with them and it was very good. Then I worked on performance and this was more an improvisation experimental work around the violence, with 4fouractors/dancers. The short film was left in the middle and the performance could not have a premier with only one day for it, due to the Covid situation.The only thing I was able to present was the play in KVS at the end of June, but the whole process was emotionally exhausting, due to the context and my state of mind but it was also necessary and fortunate to be able to do it."
How did you experience theater making during these Corona times?
Augusto: "Wncertainty, resilience, courage, abandonment, support, joy, blocking, feeling lost, and a team that accompanied me in all this and did not leave. The actors who continued to drive me (Adele, Gilles and Peter), my two technicians (Lionel and Dorian) who did not give up, my mentor (Dirk), my coach (Bart) and of course my two creative supports (Eurudike and Seppe) who did not abandon this crazy journey with many ups and downs."
What was it like performing for a limited audience?
Augusto: "Absurd, ironic, stupid, but it was also a relief to be able to do it, although it questions the nature of our work and the meaning of why to do it, and what for. It is clear the fragility in which living arts are standing, a little discouraging, but well, it is part of an entire experience and nothing there is more to go on and on creative and sometimes it is necessary to make stops."
Who are your great (international) examples?
Augusto: "Peeping Tom, Alain Platel, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Damien Jalet, Damage Gods, Ultima Vez, and further such as Rimini Protokol, Dimitris Papioanou, etc... There are a lot but if I can say something, it is that Brussels has a lot of interesting and very talented artists from all over the world. There is a lot to see and learn and get inspired."
What are your plans for the coming months?
Augusto: "I prefer not to make too much plans. Easy easy. Of course there are projects here in Belgium and in other countries, but I go step by step."
