OFF EUROPA: MINING STORIES - SILKE HUYSMANS & HANNES DEREERE (BRÜSSEL)

In 2015, a serious environmental disaster occurred near the Brazilian city of Mariana. A dam burst at the reservoir of an iron ore mine, releasing a toxic mudslide that buried several villages and contaminated the Doce River for a good 600 kilometers to its mouth, as well as parts of the adjacent coastal area. Silke Huysmans, who grew up not far from the site of the disaster, traveled to Brazil together with Hannes Dereere to research the disaster and its consequences. Back in Belgium, they supplemented their interviews with discussions with experts such as the economist Paul De Grauwe and the neurologist Luc Crevits.
Huysmans' and Dereere's theatrical reappraisal gives the disaster - completely without images - contour and comprehensibility. The resulting score of original sound bites from witness accounts, personal stories, economic observations and reflections on the classification of memories paints a precise portrait of the disaster, its history and its consequences. A particular merit of the production is that it allows all sides to have their say, thus de facto handing over the events to the audience for consideration and evaluation.
Silke Huysmans studied acting at the University of the Arts (KASK) in Ghent, Belgium, while Hannes Dereere studied theater at the University of Ghent. After various smaller projects, MINING STORIES was her first work for the stage. She was selected for the Circuit X Prize for Young Artists at the Bâtard Festival in Brussels in 2016 and has been touring festivals and theaters throughout Europe ever since.

www.silkehuysmanshannesdereere.com