Conversations in ten questions 96: Rune Antonio Bro

 

What do you think is the essence of performance?

We are not sure if we understand the question. If you mean the essence of performing arts or the essence of performing or the essence of our performance. 

The essence of the performance To BE is that all human beings are of equal value. We all have the right to a Life in dignity.

We all know that many, many people in the world will never get/experience this. 

We must deal with this very serious problem. For you, for me, for humanity and peace.

Do you believe in the transformative power of art? In what way?

Yes. 

Art communicates at other channels, has another ‘language’ than everyday life with clean facts, time schedules, money etc. Art speaks to our senses, our inner intelligence and our deepest way of understanding and navigate in the world. To be touched, seen, heard in these layers of your body and soul, can actually change your mind. It’s ancient knowledge and has been used in both politics and individual therapy with both scary and beautiful effects. 

Of course, art does not affect you every time you meet it. And it’s not about how huge or colorful a piece of music, a statue, a performance is – but if it communicates to your deepest layers. 

When you are working on a piece, what sources inspire you? Do dreams play a role in your work? 

My work stems from research, observation, and personal experiences. I like to use music, movies and movement as a source of inspiration. Dreams play a more indirect role by influencing the visual and emotional direction of the work.

When do you decide to give a piece you are working on a title if it does not already have one? 

It depends on the process. Sometimes the title is the inspiration point – another time it grows out of the work progressing.

Is there an artist or person who you think has influenced your art the most? And if so, who? 

My art has been shaped by a range of actors, theatre directors and experiences over time. However, the director and acting coach Nikolaj PapaDuke has been an important influence and has largely given me a foundation as an actor from which much of my work grows.

Considering the current state of the world in every sense, what is the most important and urgent issue for you as an artist? 

In today’s world, theatre has an urgent responsibility to slow things down, ask difficult questions, and resist easy answers. To insist on empathy and human presence in a world increasingly shaped by speed, polarization, and distance. To see the world from another person’s perspective and to understand that we all share the condition of being human, with all that entails. 

When creating a piece for children and young people, are there particular things you pay special attention to? 

Presence in the room, not ever lie or pretend as, to be very serious and respectful (especially when making funny scenes, because ‘fun’ can be cruel) –and of course telling stories at eye level, to hold the audience by the hand.

Could you tell us where the name 'Passepartout', the name of the theatre company you founded, comes from? 

Passepartout is the French word for ‘frame’. 

Passepartout is the master Key, which can open all doors. 

Passepartout is the servant, helping Phileas Fogg to travel around the Globe in 80 days. 

That’s why :) 

Jacques Matthiessen who founded PTP, thought about PTP as a Frame for intercultural theater projects. We now continue his thoughts, organized as an Artistic association. The projects are initiated by the artists themselves and all projects have international/intercultural perspectives. The Key is a hint both to the global thinking, but also to the transformative possibilities in art. The Servant is more obvious – a theater is the humble and inventive servant for both ‘the art’ and the audiences. 

How did you come up with the idea for your piece To Be, which we will see at the Atta Festival in Istanbul? 

It was Jacques Matthiessen’s idea, he created To BE and performed it until 2020. Because of PTP’s many projects in Africa and Asia, he faced the monstrous unbalances in the world in his everyday work. 

We therefore decided to be educated in CSR – Corporative Social Responsibility – how to deal with and incorporate Human Rights in your work, your company’s policy etc. 

At a lunchbreak (with other ‘students’ from all kind of companies) the idea turned up, as ‘We have a theater’ - We should make a performance about this – and we have to start with the children, they must know about the rights. 

Jacques chose to create it as a solo performance with light luggage – to just bring it along when working in other projects around, for easy touring and as his personal ‘artistic card’. The objects are made as they are, because he wanted to emphasize the neutral and general agenda with Human Rights. They are for ALL of us – if you are white, brown, have two or one leg, if you have genial ideas or none at all. If we should put “real’ gender and colors on the characters, the focus would change and be statements telling about ‘women’, ‘racism’, ‘inabilities’ etc. The choice of using everyday things as pencils, toothbrushes etc. was to connect it to just precisely ‘all’ and ordinary, everyday people – something we have right here, in our hands every day. To let them get a life and tell you a story is at the same time very humble and quite huge, Because it’s simple and possible. 

What are your impressions of the Istanbul audience? 

Very, very nice, open minded and ‘awake’ with good reactions along the show and interesting comments, reflections and questions after the show. 

We experience this in countries and regions where people know about and live close with obvious unequal terms and conditions. And the show makes sense! 

In Scandinavia many people ‘know’ about the conditions in the world, but are a bit ‘blind’ and do not have the ‘deep’ awareness – because it’s not so visible in Scandinavia (even if we think it is). 

We noticed that it was mostly the parents who asked questions. We are used to a lot of questions from the children. Maybe it was because of the language – or just because it was family performances and many adults in the room.

The Turkish version of this interview was published in unlimited.