MEDIATHEK

Picnic in the cemetery juxtaposes the macabre with the light-hearted – acknowledging on the one hand the inevitable destination for all of us, asking on the other hand whimsical questions about choices we make in life. It invites the audience to muse about dying, but more importantly to reflect on living. 

// The substance: At the core of our work is a selection of original chamber music set for violin, cello and piano, and can be enjoyed as such. But the work is in fact a concert, an installation, a theatrical performance and a filmic experience rolled into one. It is music theatre, now. The non-text based music is linked together by a series of silent-film type titles showing the names of the music and texts for reflection. These texts, although neither sung nor spoken, collectively form the libretto for the piece. 

// The design: To make sure the audience come to our show with as little pre-conceived notion as possible, we set out to make everything as unfamiliar as possible. We choose venues which would seem unconventional (at least to the local public) and design an interior that is unlike any concert hall. We prefer small spaces, and limit audience number to less than 100, more often 50+, in order to ensure a proper experience of the work. A pre-show portion of the performance takes place in the waiting area ten minutes prior to announced show time where the audience first meets some of the performers. Audience is only allowed inside the actual “performance” space when the actors lead them in. Everyone then explores the space together. It is our desire that the audience will feel that the space we etner is as much theirs as ours to explore. Ideally, audience sits around and amidst the performers on loosely arranged chairs they are encouraged to move (a modest metaphor for all of us needing to find our place in the world). In the performance shown here however, audience sat on two sides in fixed seats due to conditions imposed by the venue. 

// Audience engagement: Sitting in close distance to the performers in an intimate space, the audience feels every minute details of the performance; by the same token, the performers also keenly feel the audience’ presence and can directly engage with them. The audience thus truly becomes part of the performance environment. Their headshots, taken in the preshow, are shown in the credit list, more formally crediting their contribution and signifying our collective journey on stage and in life.