Theaterfestival Basel

We celebrated a wonderful end to our festival on Saturday with ‚Super Saturday‘, which culminated in a party in the evening at the festival center on the Kasernenareal. The evening was accompanied by the Best Trick Competition, where the local skateboarding community gave their all to show the audience their skills. 🛹🦄🎉

It was a weekend full of joy and emotion and we would like to thank everyone who accompanied, visited and supported us! 💚💚💚

Our photographer Pati Grabowicz has been out and about a lot this week and has captured some wonderful moments. 📸 Today and tomorrow are the last events before the festival is over. 😭 We would be delighted to see you at the joint events with the Kunsttage Basel and the Kunstmuseum Basel on today’s ‚Super Saturday‘ at the kHaus, the Kunstmuseum, or in the Kaserne Basel! You can find the full program at theaterfestival.ch or in our story. 💚☘️

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Together with the Kunsttage Basel and the Kunstmuseum Basel we invite you to a joint closing party this Saturday at Kaserne Basel! 🍾🎈

After performances and music in the kHaus and Kunstmuseum Basel as part of our ‚Super Saturday‘, the party starts outside on the Kasernenareal in good weather with a DJ set by Qpaem, who sets the mood with Amapiano, and plays Afrobeats, dancehall and other delights.

Later, Nahom aka The Entertainer (the name says it all) and Channel 6 from Zurich, who play Jersey Club, Garage, Breaks, Ghetto-Tech and House, will continue in the Rossstall.

Together they will transform Kleinbasel into a force field of love and happiness - all nite long.🪩🕺💃🏽💚
-curated by Nahom Mehret-

Theaterfestival Basel x Kunsttage Basel x Kunstmuseum Basel
🤞 SUPER SATURDAY PARTY
🗓️ Sat Aug 31, 10:30 p.m. - 4 a.m.
📍 Kaserne Basel
🎟️ Admission is free

💇‍♀️ Haircut before the party
🗓️ 20:00 - 23:00

After a super-full Super Satuday, you might need a little makeover before the big Theaterfestival closing party. That’s why we’ll be cutting hair at the festival center from 20:00 to 23:00! Just drop by and get a makeover for a fee. From a wolf cut to a mullet or something...
🧑‍🎤👱‍♀️👨‍🦲👨‍🦰👩‍🦰👨‍🦳👨‍🦱👩‍🦱

Our program continues today and our festival center at the Kasernenareal is open again from 4 pm. Here you can have something to eat, immerse yourself in the program, chat with the artists or simply enjoy the warm summer evenings. 🧉

The opening hours are from Wednesday to Friday from 4.00 pm to 12.00 am and Saturday and Sunday from 12.00 pm to 12.00 am. 💚

📸

Right after the first performance of „Skatepark“ by Mette Ingvartsen at Kaserne Basel this Saturday, we bring skating back from the stage to the Kasernenareal: At the theater festival skatepark, we’re teaming up with the NWS skate club for a best trick competition! 🏆 The only thing that counts here is who lands the best trick. Anyone can compete. Registration is not necessary: just come along and show us what you can do! Admission is free for all.

🛹 Best Trick Competition
🗓️ Sat Aug 31, 8:30 p.m.
📍 Festival Center at Kasernenareal

In cooperation with Skateverein NWS

And if you’re not brave enough to take part in the Best Trick competition, there’s another competition in which anyone with a skateboard can take part: Just show us your skate deck! Take a selfie with your deck, post it in your story and visibly tag our channel to take part in the prize draw. You can win two free tickets 🎟️🎟️ for the performance of ‘Skatepark’ on Saturday. The best picture wins and will be contacted by us. Good luck! ☘️🤞

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In addition to the stage programme, our festival offers various opportunities to get into conversation with others, to learn more about the background of the productions or to become active yourself. 👯

The pictures shown here were taken last Sunday as part of the „Move yourself before the dance!“ workshop, which served as a warm-up to Alice Ripoll’s „Zona Franca“ with her Companhia Suave. The aim of the workshop was to immerse oneself in Alice Ripoll’s world of movement not only with the mind, but also with the body. 🙆‍♀️ 

📲 For more information on our ‚Program of the Program’ visit theaterfestival.ch.

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Have you every thought: “I wish I had a bit more context before seeing the show”! 🤔 Well, guess what, this time you can!

We offer audio introductions which you can listen to before, or after the show you want to see. 🎧 They are short audio descriptions of the play with some extra background to give you more context before seeing the performance. Now, you can go to the performance with a little more background knowledge, have more context to talk to your companion about, or you will simply know what to expect. ✌🏽

You can find them online on the respective production pages at theaterfestival.ch and at the Info Corner of the Festival Center from Wednesday to Friday from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. ℹ️🏝️🦩

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My we introduce: this year’s participants of our special program Festival Lab: Xchange! 💚

The „Watch & Talk“ format has been an integral part of our festival for years: local, national and international artists accompany each edition with talks and workshops - allowing them to network and create long-term collaborations. 🫱🏼‍🫲🏾

Together with the Südkulturfond and Pro Helvetia, we have launched an innovation this year: An international call for entries enables international artists to also apply with an idea for a show. A jury consisting of Rahel Leupin (Südkulturfonds), Max Brands and Katie Omole (Theaterfestival Basel) has selected 10 artists for this year’s Festival LAB: Xchange. During the entire festival they will see all the productions and exchange their experiences and knowledge. Afterwards, during two days they will be presenting their own pieces in duos - 9 showings in 5 slots.

🗓️ Schedule and program:

🌼 Trà Bish Nguyen & Cilio Minella  
📍 Probebühne Klara, 28.8., 5 p.m.

🌺 Avantika Bahl & Ernestyna Orlowska  
📍 Probebühne kHaus, 28.8., 7 p.m.

🌸 Wanjiku Mwawuganga & Kadidja Tiemanta  
📍 junges theater basel, 28.8., 9 p.m.

🌻 Ogutu Muraya & Tadhi Alawi
📍 junges theater basel, 30.8., 5 p.m.

🪻 Sharon Mercado Nogales & Yuck Miranda
📍 Probebühne kHaus, 30.8., 7 p.m.

Tickets and more information on www.theaterfestival.ch 👩‍🔬

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Our skatepark on the Kasernenareal looks tempting but you’ve never been on a skateboard, or only once or twice? 😓 We are here for you! 👍 During the festival, there will be two skate workshops for complete beginners: one tomorrow 24 August explicitly for FINTAs (women, intersex, non-binary, trans and agender people), and one on 31 August open to everyone. 🛹

🧢 FINTA skate workshop
🗓️ 24 August from 16:00 to 17:30

😎 Skate workshop for all
🗓️ 31 August from 16:00 to 17:30

🔗 You can register here: https://theaterfestival.ch/en/2024/events/skatepark 🫱🏼‍🫲🏾

📸

Do you want to see a play, but struggle to find someone to look after your children? 🤔 No worries! On two weekends we offer free childcare ( age 3+) in the neighbourhood meeting place Kasernentreff, right next to the festival centre!

The meeting point is half an hour before the start of each performance in the festival center on the Kasernenareal. Please register on this link: https://shorturl.at/xhdg1 ✍️🔗

We offer childcare for the following performances:

Il Cimento dell’Armonia e dell’Inventione
Saturday, 24 August from 6.30 – 9.00 p.m.
Sunday, 25 August from 4.00 – 9.00 p.m.

Koulounisation
Sunday, 25 August from 4.00 – 9 p.m.

Festival LAB: Xchange
Ogutu Muraya & Tadhi Alawi
Sharon Mercado Nogales & Baptiste Cazaux
Friday, 30 August from 4.30 – 9 p.m.

Skatepark
Saturday, 31 August from 5.30 – 9 p.m.

☘️🎠

As part of our opening last Tuesday, Argentinian artist and performer Tiziano Cruz offered a workshop in which he baked bread with the participants. The finished loaves will be part of his performances of ‘Wayqeycuna’ this Friday and Saturday at Roxy Birsfelden. 🥖🐙🐬🐶🐲

In ‘Wayqeycuna’, he poses pressing questions about representation, power, and discrimination against indigenous people. Through dreamlike, poetic maneuvers, he encourages us to reflect on how neoliberalism violently suppresses the cultural, vital, and collective traces of indigenous life. 🌺

🧢 Tiziano Cruz: Wayqeycuna
🗓️ Fri 23.8., 8 p.m. & Sat 24.8., 9 p.m.
📍 ROXY Birsfelden

💚 Tickets and more information on www.theaterfestival.ch

📸

Skaten, Singen, Selfies und die heavy Themen dazwischen: Heute beginnt das Theaterfestival Basel Das Schauspiel ist ein Moment für vieles: Eskapismus, Reflexion, Unterhaltung. Und obwohl eine Theateraufführung stets an einen bestimmten Moment gebunden ist, dreht sich die Welt dennoch weiter. Und so mag es auch nicht überraschen, dass die diesjährigen Produktionen sehr viel mit der Welt auss...

Our festival centre at the Kasernenareal is more than just a bar. Like an Italian sagra 🇮🇹, the festival centre is a place where, between polenta and salsicca, Italopop and Monoblock, the simplicity of a cosy get-together can be celebrated. 🤌 All theatre-goers, artists and neighbours are welcome to join the artists and festival staff to eat, drink, discuss, dance, skate, immerse themselves in the programme, leave their own thoughts, or simply let the summer evenings come to a cosy end. 🌇🍹

Come by and say hi! The opening hours are from Monday - Friday from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. On Monday 26, and Tuesday 27 it is closed. 💚

Scenography and graphic design:
Photos:

And so it begins! 💥 Over the next 13 days, we will present eleven international theatre, performance, and dance productions, ten short plays as part of our program ‚Festival Lab: Xchange‘, concerts, artist talks, panel discussions, and workshops at seven different locations in and around Basel!

The 💚 of the festival is the Kasernenareal, where the festival center invites you to relax and enjoy some culinary delights. 🍽️ Additionally, there is a mediation corner where you can dive into our audio introductions before or after attending a performance to learn more about the featured pieces. 🎧

On two weekends, we also offer free childcare🎠 (for children aged 3 and up) at the neighborhood meeting point Kasernentreff, right next to the festival center. You can register through theaterfestival.ch.

All venues are wheelchair accessible. ♿️ We are happy to provide wheelchair spaces. We kindly ask you to register at least 24 hours in advance at: [email protected].

Would you like to attend an event at the theatre festival, but can’t or don’t want to come alone? KulturPlus1 offers free cultural accompaniment. Please book at least one week in advance by emailing [email protected]. 🫱🏼‍🫲🏾

Have fun! We can’t wait to see you! ☘️☘️☘️

Let’s talk about culture and ecology! 🗯️ What responsibility does culture bear for climate protection? What is needed for the theatre sector to effectively work towards achieving the goals of the Basel Climate Justice Initiative? ⚖️ The greatest challenge of our time is to harmonise our lifestyle with our ecological responsibility. 🌳

At the t.Stammtisch special we will present the film „What are we doing? Art in the Face of Climate Change“ (2023) followed by a discussion with experts and the public that aims to be a dialogue on equal footing, inviting all present to participate in the exchange. 🫱🏼‍🫲🏾

Moderation:
Yves Regenass, Dorian Sari, Barbara Ellenberger (Alumni Creative Climate Leadership Programme Switzerland 2024 by Julie’s Bicycle) and Marcel Schwald (t.Punkt Basel)

In cooperation with t.Punkt Basel.

🫠 t.Stammtisch special: Theater und Climate action in Basel
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
🗓️ Sat 24.8., 4 p.m.
📍 Kaserne Basel and festivalcenter
🎟️ Free admission for all

More information on theaterfestival.ch. 🧩

Die argentinische Regisseurin Lola Arias präsentiert am diesjährigem THEATERFESTIVAL BASEL ihr neues Theaterstück LOS DÎAS AFIUERA, ein Begleitstück zu ihrem Film REAS. Das Stück ist eine Mischung aus Theater, Musical und Berichten aus dem wahren Leben. Der Film, der in einem ehemaligen Gefängnis gedreht wurde, begleitet ehemalige Häftlinge, die ihr Leben durch Musik, Tanz und Geschichten erzählen wieder aufbauen. REAS erforscht Themen wie Widerstandskraft und Hoffnung und vermischt Realität und Fiktion zu einem kraftvollen Porträt des menschlichen Geistes.

Die gefeierte Theater-und Filmregisseurin Lola Arias schafft mit REAS ein innovatives Kunstwerk zwischen Traum und Realität, das neue Wege der filmischen Erzählung geht.

Spezialvorführung mit Regisseurin und Ibsen-Preisträgerin Lola Arias und Cast im Rahmen des Theaterfestivals Basel, findet am 22. August um 20:30 Uhr im Kult.kino in Basel statt.

REAS by LOLA ARIAS
EXKLUSIV AM DONNERSTAG, 22. AUGUST IM KULT.KINO, BASEL!

SPREAD THE NEWS ! WIR FREUEN UNS AUF EUCH 🎥💓

We warmly invite all professional dancers 💃🏽and people with a lot of dance experience 🕺 to become part of a masterclass based on the piece „Il Cimento dell’Armonia e dell’inventione“ by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker and Radouan Mriziga/ Rosas, A7LA5.

The two dancers Bostjan Antoncic and José Paulo Dos Santos will give the masterclass. They will teach some of the movement vocabulary and work with the principles of the performance. So it is recommended you watch the show on August 24! 👀

💚 Dance Masterclass
🗓️ Sunday, August 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
📍 Signalstrasse 33, 4058 Basel

✌🏽 Get your ticket now on theaterfestival.ch.

The festival opening is in a few days and before the hustle and bustle starts we want to take the time to say thank you: A festival like ours would not be possible without the support of reliable partners! 🤗

For this edition we are proud to be supported by the Swisslos-Fonds Basel-Stadt, Swisslos-Fonds Basellandschaft, Swisslos-Fonds des Kantons Solothurn, the Ernst Göhner Stiftung, the SüdKulturFonds, the Christoph Merian Stiftung, Pro Helvetia, GGG Basel, L. & Th. La Roche Stiftung and BLKB.

We are supported in our media work by the bz, Kulturbox, BASEL LIVE, Bajour, This Is Basel, Radio X and PROZ - Kultur im Raum Basel.

Grab a newspaper, magazine, tune in, or follow them on social media, to catch interviews, program tips and ticket contests for Theaterfestival Basel 2024! 💐

Photo: Alice Ripoll & Companhia Suave: ZONA FRANCA, photographed by Renato Mangolin

Kultur Basel-Stadt Kanton Basel-Landschaft Kanton Solothurn Christoph Merian Stiftung Pro Helvetia BLKB bz Zeitung für die Region Basel Kulturbox BaselLive Basel PROZ

🗺️ Wir haben verschiedene Persönlichkeiten der Region gefragt, welche Orte sie an den Kunsttagen besuchen werden. Die ersten Tourvorschläge kommen vom künstlerischen Leiter der Kaserne Basel und des Theaterfestival Basel, Tobias Brenk.

👀 Alle Touren: www.kunsttagebasel.ch/journal/tourvorschlag-tobias-brenk

Tour Freitag
🚦Start: Ausstellungsraum Klingental
🚲 Unterwegs: Kunsthaus Baselland, SALTS City Country Cyber
⛳️Ziel: ROXY Birsfelden

Tour Samstag (inkl. Super Saturday 💥)
🚦Start: von Bartha
🚲 Unterwegs: kHaus, Kunstmuseum Basel
⛳️Ziel: Kaserne Basel

Tour Familien
🚦Start: Museum Tinguely Basel
🚲 Unterwegs: Durchgang
⛳️Ziel: Neues Theater Dornach

The second part of the performances by the selected artists of this year’s Festival LAB: XChange program will take place on August 30. 🗓️✅

To get to the bottom of a little-known migration crisis, theatre maker and storyteller Ogutu Muraya, who lives in Malindi, Kenya, travels to the Comorian island of Ndzuwani and encounters the unexpected. In his artistic practice, Ogutu Muraya searches for new forms of storytelling, using literature passed down orally.

„Dar es Salaam - A house of peace“, a performance by Tanzanian choreographer and dancer Tadhi Alawi, combines movement, music and film to create a portrait of the city of Dar es Salaam. Tadhi Alawi grew up in the slum neighbourhood of Mwananyamala in Dar es Salaam and has witnessed the city’s transformation over the years.

Berlin-based dancer/choreographer Sharon Mercado Nogales, who comes from the Bolivian Andes, incorporates autobiographical material and the knowledge of her ancestors into her choreographic work. Her solo „recuerdos del presente“ revolves around the sound and rhythm of Cumbia Andina - a musical form between joy and melancholy.

Mozambican choreographer Yuck Miranda is a performance artist and is currently beginning a three-month residency at the Kaserne Basel. Yuck’s work is primarily concerned with the defense of the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, children, and gender equality. His piece „Homem Novo“ talks about the re-education camps in post-independence Mozambique.

For more information on this years Festival LAB: Xchange participants, visit theaterfestival.ch. 📲🧩

On August 28, six of the 10 artists selected for this year’s Festival LAB: XChange will perform their own pieces. ☘️

In her stage works, Trà Nguyễn works on the fusion of visual and performing arts and initiates collective processes. She was deputy director of Sàn Art in Ho Chi Minh City, teaches theatre and scenic writing and works as a director and curator.

Cilio Minella is the founder of Compagnie La SECOUSSE and creates aesthetically dense and participative performances and installations in public spaces. He works with movement, sound and vibration and creates access for a mixed-abled audience. 

Based on her own experiences, the dancer Avantika Bahl from Mumbai develops inclusive performances that incorporate diverse voices. For the Festival LAB, she gives an exclusive insight into her work-in-process.

Ernestyna Orlowska’s artistic practice takes place at the interface of visual art, choreography and performance. She is interested in the human body in its various areas of tension. In doing so, she utilises an aesthetic of the handmade and unpolished.

The Kenyan director and performer Wanjiku Mwawuganga deals with vulnerability and the shifting of boundaries. At Festival LAB, we will get an insight into her performance „Where Did You See My Fear?“, which is currently being created.

Wanjiku Mwawuganga studied film and theatre arts and has worked on several short films and theatre productions. Her solo „Roots“ was created as part of the Maabara initiative of Kenyan theatre makers and was shown in Zurich and Munich. 

Malian choreographer and dancer Kadidja Tiemanta presents her award-winning solo „Banbali 100 fin“, a physical dialogue about fear, determination and overcoming oneself in the face of a sick mother.

For more information on this years Festival LAB: Xchange participants, visit theaterfestival.ch. 💚

Not to miss is this year’s special program from the Festival Lab: Xchange. 🧪🥽

The „Watch & Talk“ format has been an integral part of our festival for years: local, national and international artists accompany each edition with talks and workshops - allowing them to network and create long-term collaborations. ♻️

Together with the Südkulturfond and Pro Helvetia, we are launching an innovation this year: An international call for entries will enable international artists to also apply with an idea for a show. A jury consisting of Rahel Leupin (Südkulturfonds), Max Brands and Katie Omole (Theaterfestival Basel) has selected 10 artists for this year’s Festival LAB: Xchange. During the entire festival they will see all the productions and exchange their experiences and knowledge. Afterwards, during two days they will be presenting their own pieces in duos - 9 showings in 5 slots.

💚 Schedule and program:

Trà Bish Nguyen & Cilio Minella  
Probebühne Klara, 28.8., 5 p.m.

Avantika Bahl & Ernestyna Orlowska  
Probebühne kHaus, 28.8., 7 p.m.

Wanjiku Mwawuganga & Kadidja Tiemanta  
junges theater basel, 28.8., 9 p.m.

Ogutu Muraya & Tadhi Alawi
junges theater basel, 30.8., 5 p.m.

Sharon Mercado Nogales
Probebühne kHaus, 30.8., 7 p.m.

Tickets and more information on www.theaterfestival.ch 👩‍🔬

In “Batty Bwoy” the Norwegian-Jamaican artist Harald Beharie creates an outstanding dance solo: full of tension, biting, ambivalent between tenderness and cruelty, and driven by the music of the progressive rock band Ring Van Möbius. 🎸

By re-appropriating the Jamaican insult „batty bwoy“ (literally: butt-boy) for q***r people and with a captivating stage presence, Beharie reinterprets discriminatory stereotypes, attacking and embracing clichés and fantasies that label q***r bodies as „perverted“ figures that deviate from the norm. 🏳️‍🌈💪🏽

Harald Beharie: BATTY BWOY

🗓️ Fri 30.8. & Sat 31.8., 9 p.m.
📍 ROXY Birsfelden

🎟️ Tickets and more information on www.theaterfestival.ch

Let’s take a selfie with Ivo Dimchev! 🤳
Ivo Dimchev only sings and performs when audience members take selfies with him. 🎤🎶

The concept is as simple as it is brilliant: With the audience, this creates a joyful game of self-dramatisation. Performed musically and with great gesture, each performance remains improvised and unique.

The Bulgarian performance artist and musician is known for his radical actions that demand a lot from the audience and his performances that lie somewhere between burlesque, body art, Viennese actionism and Dada. His legendary appearance on The X Factor UK is unforgettable. Now he is taking a thoughtful approach with his „The Selfie Concert“ at the Kunstmuseum Basel. A venue that could hardly be more fitting, as Dimchev himself seems to have stepped out of the picture gallery of the Flemish masters. 🎨

Ivo Dimchev
THE SELFIE CONCERT

🗓️ Thu 29.8., 7 p.m.
🗓️ Fri 30.8., 7 p.m.
🗓️ Sat 31.8., 7:30 p.m. as part of the Super Saturday, a collaboration with and
📍 Kunstmuseum Basel | Neubau, Eventfoyer

📲 Tickets and more information on www.theaterfestival.ch

Festival-Party mit Leila Moon 🎉

Die letzten beide Tage des diesjährigen Theaterfestivals sind angebrochen! Bevor es aber ganz zu Ende geht wollen wir gemeinsam mit euch feiern und auf eine grossartige Festivalausgabe anstossen!

Kommt vorbei und feiert mit uns und Leila Moon
👉 Ab 21 Uhr im Festivalzentrum auf dem Kasernenareal

Wir freuen uns auf euch🎉

Hier geht's zur Musik von Leila Moon
https://soundcloud.com/leila_moon

Kaserne Basel