Headfirst Editor's Pick
"Stunning hybrid documentary screening and diorama installation charting an elderly couple’s refusal to evacuate after the Chernobyl meltdown. Surrounded by invisible radiation that eerily foreshadows the 2020 pandemic, Pétro and Nadia live in rural solitude and poverty - a lockdown of their own creation."
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A event held at Unit 15 on Monday 20th May. The event starts at 20:00.
Zvizdal (Chernobyl - so far, so close) by BERLIN
1986. About 90 towns and villages around Pripyat are evacuated. The failure of an atomic experiment causes a drastic change in the lives of the locals. They leave their houses never to return.
Pétro and Nadia, who were born and raised in Zvizdal, refuse to be evacuated. They prefer to stay put in their old village, in their own house. A ghost town. All their friends have left, their plundered houses bear witness to better days. Petrified places, overgrown by nature.
Between 2011 and 2016 BERLIN followed Pétro and Nadia in an effort to portray the evolution of their story over the years. How does one bear years of isolation? Of no electricity, running water or heating. There are the superstitions, there is the vodka, the muttering, the cursing and praying and singing, the toothaches, the ailments of old age, the 20km walk to the nearest shop, the wait for someone from civilization.
Zvizdal is an immersive hybrid of documentary film and theatrical installation, which shows two people living in a ghost town. A portrait of solitude, survival, poverty, hope and love between two elderly people in their eighties surrounded by colourless, odourless but omnipresent radiation.
‘An intriguing conceptual meditation: slow, existential, quietly beautiful, and worthwhile.’ - The Arts Desk
“Slowly and sensitively, a remarkable portrait is created, offering no simple answers to the questions that arise, even the central one of why Pétro and Nadia chose to stay. ‘This is how it is,’ they say, and in that moment it seems that theirs is not a choice after all, but a necessity. —Irish Times
★★★★★ The Argus
★★★★ The Irish Times
This performance is part of Mayfest: Bristol's international festival of contemporary theatre and live performance, curated and produced by MAYK. Check out the full programme at https://www.mayk.org.uk/mayfest / @mayfestbristol
"We were forced to cancel this show in 2020 due to us all having to isolate – poignant really, given the themes of the work. And since that time, the location of the film – deep within the Ukrainian countryside – has brought the landscape of this work to the fore once again. We’re honoured to welcome Belgian company BERLIN to Mayfest for the first time with this exquisite work." Kate & Matthew, co-directors, MAYK
Age guidance: 14+
Duration: 75 mins, no interval
Access
- Wheelchair accessible venue
- Spoken Language: Ukrainian
- This show contains English translated subtitles for any spoken dialogue. However it does not include descriptive subtitles for other sound elements. It may sometimes be hard to tell who is speaking. Please refer to the Access Introduction for further information.
Credits
Concept and Direction: BERLIN [Bart Baele & Yves Degryse] & Cathy Blisson, with Nadia & Pétro Opanassovitch Lubenoc
Interviews: Yves Degryse & Cathy Blisson
Photography and Editing: Bart Baele & Geert De Vleesschauwer
Set Design: BERLIN, Manu Siebens & Ina Peeters
Sound Recordings: Toon Meuris, Bas De Caluwé, Manu
Siebens & Karel Verstreken
Interpreter: Olga Mitronina
Soundtrack and Mixing: Peter Van Laerhoven
Set Construction: Manu Siebens, Klaartje Vermeulen,
Dirk Stevens & Kasper Siebens
Scale Models: Ina Peeters, with the help of Puck
Vonk, Rosa Fens & Thomas Dreezen
Mechanics: Joris Festjens & Dirk Lauwers
Graphic Design: Jelle Verryckt
Production: Laura Fierens
Technical coordination: Marjolein Demey
Technicians: Barbara De Wit, Bregt Janssens, Rex Tee
Business Management: Tine Verhaert, before: Kurt Lannoye
Administration: Maya Van der Brempt, before: Jane Seynaeve
Distribution: Eveline Martens
Communication: Sam Loncke
Production: BERLIN
Co-production: Het Zuidelijk Toneel [Tilburg, NL], PACT Zollverein [Essen, DE], Dublin Theatre Festival [IE], le CENTQUATRE [Paris, FR], Brighton Festival [UK], BIT Teatergarasjen - House On Fire [Bergen, NO], Kunstenfestivaldesarts [Brussels, BE], Künstlerhaus Mousonturm Frankfurt am Main [DE], Theaterfestival Boulevard [Den Bosch, NL], Onassis Cultural Centre [Athens, GR]
With support of: the Flemish Government, deSingel[Antwerp, BE]
Thanks to: Wim Bervoets, Brice Maire, Lux Lumen, Els De Bodt, Pascal Rueff, Morgan Touzé, Christophe Ruetsch, Isabelle Grynberg, Nadine Malfait, Natalie Schrauwen, Kathleen Treier, Piet Menu, Anthe & Ama Oda Baele, Remi & Ilias Degryse
BERLIN is ‘creative associate’ in deSingel (Antwerp, BE) and ‘artiste Associé’ at le CENTQUATRE (Paris, FR)
About BERLIN:
BERLIN was founded in 2003 by artistic director Yves Degryse together with Bart Baele and Caroline Rochlitz. Alongside Barbara Raes and Melih Gençboyacı, Yves Degryse is now one of the three artistic directors of NTGent. BERLIN is joining in as house-maker.
Their work is interdisciplinary in nature and engages different media depending upon the content of each project. BERLIN’s performances have been presented internationally at festivals, theatres, and art spaces, including the Dublin Theatre Festival, Le Centquatre (Paris), and the Onassis Cultural Center (Athens), among many others.
www.berlinberlin.be
#Mayfest / https://twitter.com/mayfestbristol
@mayfestbristol / https://www.instagram.com/mayfestbristol/
Entry requirements: 14+
1986. About 90 towns and villages around Pripyat are evacuated. The failure of an atomic experiment causes a drastic change in the lives of the locals. They leave their houses never to return.
Pétro and Nadia, who were born and raised in Zvizdal, refuse to be evacuated. They prefer to stay put in their old village, in their own house. A ghost town. All their friends have left, their plundered houses bear witness to better days. Petrified places, overgrown by nature.
Between 2011 and 2016 BERLIN followed Pétro and Nadia in an effort to portray the evolution of their story over the years. How does one bear years of isolation? Of no electricity, running water or heating. There are the superstitions, there is the vodka, the muttering, the cursing and praying and singing, the toothaches, the ailments of old age, the 20km walk to the nearest shop, the wait for someone from civilization.
Zvizdal is an immersive hybrid of documentary film and theatrical installation, which shows two people living in a ghost town. A portrait of solitude, survival, poverty, hope and love between two elderly people in their eighties surrounded by colourless, odourless but omnipresent radiation.
‘An intriguing conceptual meditation: slow, existential, quietly beautiful, and worthwhile.’ - The Arts Desk
“Slowly and sensitively, a remarkable portrait is created, offering no simple answers to the questions that arise, even the central one of why Pétro and Nadia chose to stay. ‘This is how it is,’ they say, and in that moment it seems that theirs is not a choice after all, but a necessity. —Irish Times
★★★★★ The Argus
★★★★ The Irish Times
This performance is part of Mayfest: Bristol's international festival of contemporary theatre and live performance, curated and produced by MAYK. Check out the full programme at https://www.mayk.org.uk/mayfest / @mayfestbristol
"We were forced to cancel this show in 2020 due to us all having to isolate – poignant really, given the themes of the work. And since that time, the location of the film – deep within the Ukrainian countryside – has brought the landscape of this work to the fore once again. We’re honoured to welcome Belgian company BERLIN to Mayfest for the first time with this exquisite work." Kate & Matthew, co-directors, MAYK
Age guidance: 14+
Duration: 75 mins, no interval
Access
- Wheelchair accessible venue
- Spoken Language: Ukrainian
- This show contains English translated subtitles for any spoken dialogue. However it does not include descriptive subtitles for other sound elements. It may sometimes be hard to tell who is speaking. Please refer to the Access Introduction for further information.
Credits
Concept and Direction: BERLIN [Bart Baele & Yves Degryse] & Cathy Blisson, with Nadia & Pétro Opanassovitch Lubenoc
Interviews: Yves Degryse & Cathy Blisson
Photography and Editing: Bart Baele & Geert De Vleesschauwer
Set Design: BERLIN, Manu Siebens & Ina Peeters
Sound Recordings: Toon Meuris, Bas De Caluwé, Manu
Siebens & Karel Verstreken
Interpreter: Olga Mitronina
Soundtrack and Mixing: Peter Van Laerhoven
Set Construction: Manu Siebens, Klaartje Vermeulen,
Dirk Stevens & Kasper Siebens
Scale Models: Ina Peeters, with the help of Puck
Vonk, Rosa Fens & Thomas Dreezen
Mechanics: Joris Festjens & Dirk Lauwers
Graphic Design: Jelle Verryckt
Production: Laura Fierens
Technical coordination: Marjolein Demey
Technicians: Barbara De Wit, Bregt Janssens, Rex Tee
Business Management: Tine Verhaert, before: Kurt Lannoye
Administration: Maya Van der Brempt, before: Jane Seynaeve
Distribution: Eveline Martens
Communication: Sam Loncke
Production: BERLIN
Co-production: Het Zuidelijk Toneel [Tilburg, NL], PACT Zollverein [Essen, DE], Dublin Theatre Festival [IE], le CENTQUATRE [Paris, FR], Brighton Festival [UK], BIT Teatergarasjen - House On Fire [Bergen, NO], Kunstenfestivaldesarts [Brussels, BE], Künstlerhaus Mousonturm Frankfurt am Main [DE], Theaterfestival Boulevard [Den Bosch, NL], Onassis Cultural Centre [Athens, GR]
With support of: the Flemish Government, deSingel[Antwerp, BE]
Thanks to: Wim Bervoets, Brice Maire, Lux Lumen, Els De Bodt, Pascal Rueff, Morgan Touzé, Christophe Ruetsch, Isabelle Grynberg, Nadine Malfait, Natalie Schrauwen, Kathleen Treier, Piet Menu, Anthe & Ama Oda Baele, Remi & Ilias Degryse
BERLIN is ‘creative associate’ in deSingel (Antwerp, BE) and ‘artiste Associé’ at le CENTQUATRE (Paris, FR)
About BERLIN:
BERLIN was founded in 2003 by artistic director Yves Degryse together with Bart Baele and Caroline Rochlitz. Alongside Barbara Raes and Melih Gençboyacı, Yves Degryse is now one of the three artistic directors of NTGent. BERLIN is joining in as house-maker.
Their work is interdisciplinary in nature and engages different media depending upon the content of each project. BERLIN’s performances have been presented internationally at festivals, theatres, and art spaces, including the Dublin Theatre Festival, Le Centquatre (Paris), and the Onassis Cultural Center (Athens), among many others.
www.berlinberlin.be
#Mayfest / https://twitter.com/mayfestbristol
@mayfestbristol / https://www.instagram.com/mayfestbristol/
Entry requirements: 14+
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