Technologies of mood
The human race has already discovered — and continues unceasingly to invent — ways to positively influence their mood. For this dance production we’re particularly interested in transitive non-material techniques: things that one human being can do to another. For this sort of emotional manipulation, we believe that dance movement can be a particularly useful tool.
Many theories about the pursuit of happiness are already well-known. Rather than taking a side, “The Pursuit of Happiness” aims to stage these different theories in practice, to juxtapose them and relativize them. Both the performers and the audience members will be invited to join in the experiment by asking themselves about their their personal fantasies of fulfillment, their recurring dreams and most basic needs.
We have high hopes for the results. But we’re also fully aware of the difficulty — perhaps even the absurdity — of our endeavor. Can we really know or predict what will make us happy?
“The Pursuit of Happiness” features the alternative seating arrangement which we first developed for our 2018 production “Romeo, Romeo, Romeo.” The audience is seated on all four sides of the performing area. This arrangement provides the audience with an unusual degree of closeness and intimacy, a high-definition experience of live performance, a feeling of community, and the possibility of direct interactions between audience and performers.
CHOREOGRAPHY
Joshua Monten
DANCE
Marioenrico D’Angelo
Angela Demattè
Frederik Kaijser
Jack Wignall
DRAMATURGY
Guy Cools
SET DESIGN
Romy Springsguth
COSTUME DESIGN
Catherine Voeffray
LIGHTING DESIGN
Mirjam Berger
MUSIC CONSULTANT
Moritz Alfons
APPRENTICES
Giulia Esposito
Katharina Ludwig
PRODUCED BY
Verein Tough Love
COPRODUCED BY
Dampfzentrale Bern
Südpol Luzern
WE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS
Pro Helvetia
SWISSLOS / Kultur Kanton Bern
Kultur Stadt Bern
Burgergemeinde Bern
Migros Kulturprozent
GVB Kulturstiftung
Stanley Thomas Johnson Stiftung
Ernst Göhner Stiftung
Bürgi-Willert-Stiftung
Gwärtler Stiftung
Stiftung Anne-Marie Schindler
SSA-FARS
PERFORMANCES
24 June 2021 (2x) — Dampfzentrale Bern (CH) — premiere
25 June 2021 (2x)— Dampfzentrale Bern (CH)
26 June 2021 (2x) — Dampfzentrale Bern (CH)
24 July 2021 (2x) — Heimland Festival, Diepenheim (NL)
25 July 2021 (2x) — Heimland Festival, Diepenheim (NL)
7 August 2021 — La plage des six pompes, La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH)
8 August 2021 — La plage des six pompes, La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH)