MAYBE FOREVER
A man and a woman on stage. Are they chance passers-by or lovers? They
fight, with themselves, with each other, with the finiteness of things,
with eternity. Fortunately there are some songs that provide a little
warmth, to soothe the soul. The man and woman swing between dream and
action, between loving and mourning. But beneath this sweet melancholy
simmers that which remains unspoken. MAYBE FOREVER is an album of
relational snapshots, emotions and statements on the transience of life.
How do we let the lifespan of things extend beyond their predicted
deadlines?
In MAYBE FOREVER Meg Stuart and Philipp Gehmacher, two major names in
contemporary dance, let their artistic worlds merge. The Brussels
singer-songwriter Niko Hafkenscheid, who joins them on stage, invites
them to waltz to ballads and lullabies. The stage is designed by Janina
Audick, who has worked with René Pollesch, Christoph Schlingensief and
others. This production premiered at the Kaaitheater in June 2007 and is
now having its final performances there too.
‘MAYBE FOREVER is stripped down. The tender, melancholic piece, which
embraces themes of disconnection and separation, is a portrait of lost
love, where movement, more than theatrics or text, is of overriding
importance.”
Time Out New York
choreography & dance Meg Stuart & Philipp Gehmacher | live music Niko Hafkenscheid | dramaturgy Myriam Van Imschoot | light design Jan Maertens | scenography & costumes Janina Audick | music & sound Vincent Malstaf | assistance choreography Sigal Zouk | production manager Tanja Thomsen | assistance scenography & costumes Inga Timm | thanks to Davis Freeman, Angela Glechner, Christoph Gurk, Michael Höppner, ImPulsTanz Wien, TanzWerkstatt Berlin | production Damaged Goods (Brussels), Mumbling Fish (Vienna) | co-production Kaaitheater
(Brussels), Wexner Center for the Arts (Columbus, Ohio), Théâtre de la
Ville (Paris), Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz (Berlin) | Meg Stuart & Damaged Goods are supported by the Flemish authorities and the Flemish Community Commission | Philipp Gehmacher & Mumbling Fish are supported by the cultural department of the City of Vienna