BÜHNENBESCHIMPFUNG

In the organizer's words:

Play by Sivan Ben Yishai. Production: CUMA Kollektiv
As part of the production series EIN STÜCK WEITER

"Wait a minute - what's actually happening?" The discussion-happy collective CUMA - Brazilian for "Excuse me?" - unpacks: first the instruments. And then they take on the institution of theater in a scenic and musical way. It is about the self-image and dependencies of artists in the independent scene, about trust in the cultural sector in general. Sometimes astonishing, sometimes provocative, it questions power structures and production conditions. A humorous but honest analysis of the institution of theater between criticism and self-criticism. It is not just a rant, but also a show of solidarity. CUMA complements the perspectives of Sivan Ben Yishai's "stage abuse" with his own experiences as a cultural worker and confronts the audience with the exciting question of why people are (still or again?) in the theater at all.

Text: Sivan Ben Yishai (playwright of the year 2023 in the Theater heute critics' poll for "Stage Insult")
Production: CUMA Kollektiv (Bruna Cabral, Jakob Jentgens, Elina Brams Ritzau)
The following are used: (acoustic) guitar, (electric) bass, saxophone, synthesizer, electronic beats and a lot of noise.
Playing time: 70 minutes
www.cuma-kollektiv.com

CUMA is a Brazilian expression derived from the question "Excuse me?". CUMA is a brief interruption in which the unexpected can arise. The collective enters into this irritation. In its works, the collective focuses on the performative potential of music and its expressive possibilities. In the format of the physical theater concert, it combines music, dance and acting in a playful and entertaining way to create a pleasurable spectacle that leaves plenty of room for the audience's interpretation and encourages reflection. Social norms and stereotypes are questioned without offering simple solutions.

The CUMA collective consists of percussionist and drummer Bruna Cabral, saxophonist Jakob Jentgens and physical theater maker Elina Brams Ritzau. The three performers met while studying at the Folkwang University of the Arts. In 2020, they were involved in the performative band project The Peculiars at the Physical Fetz festival. In spring 2021, they developed the full-length physical theater concert Vacation from Love as their diploma thesis as part of Elina's physical theater studies, for which they were awarded the Folkwang Prize 2021 in the performing arts category.

How do young authors and theater makers look at the upheavals of our time? What is important to them? In the new series EIN STÜCK WEITER, the FWT: presents current dramatic positions that are brought to the stage in concentrated and rapid realizations. The series is designed to bundle creative energies and provide strong, unconventional and also unprotected impulses for what's happening in society and what gets on our nerves.