We are inviting you to the special performances of the musical stage performance ‘Higher’ held in various venues in Serbia. The piece was composed by Milica Ilić for two pianos, baritone singing voice, speaking voice and choir. The schedule of the performances is the following:
In Belgrade: September 15-16 – at the Dorćol Platz (Dobračina 59b), starting at 21:00.
In Subotica: September 19 – at the Kosztolányi Dezső theatre (Trg žrtava fašizma 5), starting at 20:00.
The event in Subotica is organized by the Electe group.
For further information about the work ‘Higher’, please, read on.
Higher
(based upon the story of Daedalus and Icarus)
a musical theatre piece
for baritone, actor, choir of shouters and two pianos
language: English
duration: 50 minutes
characters:
Daedalus/Icarus puppet – baritone
Icarus/Deadalus puppet – actor
Choir of shouters
music: Milica Ilić
poetry: Marina Simić
directed by: Kai Anne Schuhmacher
Higher was conceived through a close collaboration between the three authors who actually come from utterly different socio-cultural backgrounds, yet, they gathered to achieve joint goal – to explore the communicative potential of art. Having very diverse starting points, they found a common ground in mythical themes, worldly in the story of Daedalus and Icarus, which has proven to be a highly fertile and convenient field for the development of new forms and concepts in the realm of performing arts.
The opportunity to perform this piece for the first time in Indonesia was a great challenge, as it was a direct test to see how strong cultural, social, language and other barriers are when art is concerned. The success of the performance proved beyond doubt that the communicative potentials of art are immense, and also clearly pointed out the need to use them in a more comprehensive, intelligent and overall better manner.
This main goal naturally guided the style of creation. The choice of using a mythical theme, which is not connected to any concrete space, time, language or cultural context, set the guidelines for the rest of the process: the artistic team was not concerned with supplying the answers, or propagating a set of ideas, but rather to present the main problems occurring in the situation of Daedalus and Icarus. The team used the ambiguity of the myth as the most important means of artistic expression but also as a great advantage when reactions of the audience are concerned. The mythical representation of reality leaves space for personal interpretations, opens a wide field for associative thinking, thus allowing a palette of many diverse emotional reactions to the piece.
The poetry of Marina Simić is absolutely in line with all the preset goals – it is not descriptive nor conflicting, it is merely following the inner life of the protagonists facing the given situation. Minimalism, clear and precise expression on the one hand, and a strong emotional charge on the other, make this text ideal to be set to music. The musical style of the piece presents a combination of classical forms and popular/electronic musical genres whose constant beats and prominent rhythms remind the listener of the everlasting flow of time and transience of life, to be followed by more contemplative sections aiming to show the inner life of the main characters.
An important actor in this piece is, naturally, the choir – representing the public’s opinion, but this public speaks with the voice of a contemporary man – a man somewhat lost either in the sea of different information, concepts and ideas, or in the multitude of recipes for living a perfect life. A public like this is rather weakening the protagonists than offering them support and advice on what is right or wrong. The concept of the stage direction is also minimal, so it could be elastic, and easily moldable by different environments of the performance – different spaces, actors, audiences.
The plot of the piece is developed around the story of Daedalus and Icarus, but this is not a retelling of the story, as it is already well-known. The accent is on the protagonists’ emotional states, their thoughts, fears and reactions. Both Daedalus and Icarus have a sort of alter-ego in the form of puppets, which is there to make them act – they are neither good nor bad, they only present the drive to move, to act. The choirs’ role is to comment and criticize the protagonists, but, as stated earlier, the stands of the choir are not moral norms or the laws of justice – they are driven by a flow of diverse influences and information received, and upon which they build their, often very short-term opinions.
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