Euro-scene Leipzig

Theatre festival euro-scene Leipzig sets out on a search for traces in its 20th anniversary The euro-scene Leipzig, festival of contemporary European theatre, will take place from 2 to 7 November 2010 for the 20th time.

The festival of contemporary European theatre will show 12 guest plays from 10 countries in 25 performances and 9 theatre venues. This includes dance and speech theatre as well as performances and two plays for children. The euro-scene Leipzig holds a firm place in the European festival landscape today. The anniversary festival is under the patronage of Stanislaw Tillich, Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony.

In its anniversary year, the festival is going by the motto "Spurensuche" ("Searching for traces"). "It is therefore embarking on a journey both towards a résumé of its own development since its foundation in 1991 during the adventurous post-reunification era and towards setting a course for the future," says festival director Ann-Elisabeth Wolff.

As in past years, the guest appearances will demonstrate the strong, individual scripting of major directors and choreographers from all over Europe. This will include a reunion with a number of artists with whom the euro-scene Leipzig has long enjoyed a partnership. In addition, companies that are still unknown will also be present and several German premières will be shown. Alain Platel of Belgium and Angelin Preljocaj of France number amongst the most significant choreographers in Europe. Both have already been guests of the euro-scene Leipzig multiple times and will present full-length, gripping pieces for the festival opening and closing, respectively, this anniversary year. There will also be a reunion with the exceptional Italian director Romeo Castellucci. Also coming from Italy is Pippo Delbono, who practises strong societal criticism with opulent images in the film and opera traditions of his country.

On the occasion of the anniversary year, three plays that have been among the highlights of European theatre for the past years will finally be shown in Leipzig: "Sonja“ by Alvis Hermanis from Riga, "Twee stemmen “ ("Two voices") by Johan Simons with Jeroen Willems, the best actor of the Netherlands, and "Savitrí“, an enchanting shadow theatre for children by Divadlo Líše from Brno. A play from Kosovo, by Bekim Lumi, will be a part of the important focus on Eastern Europe for the first time as well as a performance by Ivo Dimchev from Sofia. Special features of the programme this year are a “Long night of dance” showing new choreographies of former laureates of the competition "Das beste deutsche Tanzsolo" (“Best German Dance Solo”) and with it their ways of development, and the world première of “Prophezeiung 20/11" ("Prophecy 20/11”), an instinct theatre play by Philipp J. Neumann from Leipzig, who won the competition for an in-house festival production for central Germany in partnership with the Festspielhaus Hellerau/Dresden and the Thalia Theater Halle.

Two highlights within the comprehensive fringe programme deserve special mention this year: a top-class film series with dance and theatre films with the support of ARTE and a symposium which, under the title "Ost-West-Passagen" (“East-West Passages”), dedicates itself to the development of theatre over the last 20 years and is open to the general public.

The euro-scene Leipzig is financed from funds of the City of Leipzig and the Free State of Saxony. Main partner is the BMW Plant Leipzig. Partners are also the Sparkasse Leipzig and the hotel Holiday Inn Garden Court, Leipzig. The festival is also supported by numerous embassies and cultural institutions. Cultural partner is the MDR Figaro, media partner is ZDFtheaterkanal.

Information and contact: euro-scene Leipzig, Gottschedstrasse 16, 04109 Leipzig, tel. (0341) 980 02 84 / info@euro-scene.de / www.euro-scene.de