Symposium

Against the tradition of devoting the stage to the literary canon, documentary theatre deliberately turns its attention to reality. Life and everyday experience in the present or the past are narrated and reflected on through a variety of performative forms. The protagonists are usually performers or "experts in the everyday", rather than actors. The texts are not fictions composed by dramatists, but are rather based on actual, "true", sometimes historical occurrences. Or they draw on the personal experiences of the performer, who makes their own identity and biography into the object of inquiry. The performers on stage are analogous to the witnesses in a court, testifying to what has taken place. Documentary theatre thus develops a peculiar relationship with the audience: the reality narrated becomes a matter of trust. In contrast to fiction, the authenticity of the narrated facts and information takes on a particular significance. This symposium will be devoted to the question of what actually constitutes this "authenticity". What are we talking about when we talk about reality? Is the witness trustworthy? And where are the boundaries between truth, fake, and illusion?

The symposium will feature academic lectures, lecture-performances and presentations of work by selected artists. The program includes space for discussion and exchange.

Come along and join the conversation!

Sat, April 20th

10:30 – 12:30am

Was ist Wirklichkeit?
Dirk Baecker: «Was ist Wirklichkeit?»
André Eiermann: «Dieser Vortrag ist nicht echt»
Roberto Simanowski: «Wer bin ich wirklich? / Quantified Self»
Kaserne Basel, Rossstall

12:30 – 1:30pm

lunch break

1:30 – 3:30pm

Dokumentarische Praxis I
Schauplatz International
Hans-Werner Kroesinger
CapriConnection
Anschliessend Podiumsgespräch
Kaserne Basel, Rossstall

3:30 – 4:00pm

Coffee Break

4:00 – 4:45pm

Stefanie Wenner: Against Documentation? Über neuen Realismus auf dem Theater
Kaserne Basel, Rosstall

7:00 – 8:30pm

Gregor Gysi: Über politisches Sprechen (Vortrag)
Anschliessend Podiumsgespräch
Kaserne Basel, Rossstall

8:30pm

Rachid Ouramdane: Loin...
Performance
Kaserne Basel, Reithalle

Sun April 21st

9:00 – 11:00am

Real Places: In die Kirche mit Ariane Andereggen
Performance / Exkursion
Startpunkt: Kaserne Basel

11:15am

Coffee & Cake

11:30 – 1:30pm

Überzeugungskraft
Fritz B. Simon: Wahn vs. Wirklichkeit - oder doch alles nur Wahn?
Franz Liebl: Strategien zur Erzeugung von Glaubwürdigkeit
Barbara Gronau: Das Versprechen des Realen: Vorstellungen von Wirklichkeit im Theater des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts
Kaserne Basel, Rossstall

1:30 – 2:30pm

lunch break

2:30 – 3:00pm

Dokumentarische Praxis II
Cecilie Ullerup Schmidt: How to do Things with Facts
Kaserne Basel, Rossstall

3:00 – 4:30pm

Table Talks
Tisch 1: Zeugen, Dokumente, Wahrheit
Tisch 2: Fake
Tisch 3: Rahmung und Räume
Tisch 4: Demokratie und Dilettantismus
Kaserne Basel, Rossstall

4:30 – 5:00pm

Résumé
Moderation: Boris Nikitin
Kaserne Basel, Rossstall

7:00pm

Cuqui Jerez: The Rehearsal
Performance
Theater Roxy Birsfelden