Season 2021/2022
Oblivia / Yiran Zhao
Obsessions
Concept, text, performance: Alice Ferl, Timo Fredriksson, Annika Tudeer
Music, sound design: Yiran Zhao
Dramaturgy: Anna-Maija Terava
Lighting design: Meri Ekola
Costumes: Tua Helve
Production management: Jenny Nordlund
Production assistance: Elena Polzer (ehrliche arbeit)
Team. The Oblivia theatre collective was founded in Helsinki in 2000. Since then, it has made an international name for itself with audiences and critics alike with performances that transcend genre boundaries and address major issues with extremely minimal theatre resources. The musical works of the young Chinese composer Yiran Zhao aim at the interdisciplinary and, in addition to elements of the performative, often include those of the visual arts. Since 2014 they have been interpreted by renowned contemporary music ensembles and have been performed at renowned festivals.
Project. As part of a celebrated joint work with Yiran Zhao for the Stuttgart festival “Eclat”, Oblivia ventured into the special area of music theatre for the first time in February 2020. The continuation of this collaboration within the framework of the project “Obsessions”, with musicians and singers from the ensembles of the participating stages, for the first time includes other actors in addition to the performers of Oblivia. By using different theatrical means, the two houses are to develop independent variations in the examination of the title theme.
First production house: Theater Bremen. Afterwards “Obsessions” will be further developed at the Wuppertal Opera.