Spoken World 2011

Show the power of your speech on Twitter: #spokenworld In 2009, Barack Obama took the White House by storm on the basis of the slogan Yes, we can plus a number of compelling speeches. In every age, country and culture, and in every societal context – from the most democratic to the most dictatorial – speeches have been one of the most important driving forces in the political functioning of states and communities.

In Spoken World, the Kaaitheater, together with the Siemens Stiftung, will be devoting theatrical research to the formal and substantive forces behind the speech. Forces that can lead a community to war or peace, to ‘good’ or to ‘evil’. Whether it is written beforehand or improvised on the spot, a speech is always given in a specific context, in a ‘here and now’ – just as in the theatre. Someone gives shape to an argument while an audience listens – just as in the theatre.

Theatre-makers from several continents will be creating a performance for Spoken World in which they examine their relationship with the speech given and make a space for it in their own political and cultural context.