MEDIATHEK

Lotte van den Berg (NL)Regisseurin, künstlerische Leiterin Theater OMSK geboren 1975 in Groningen, studierte Theater und Philosophie, ab 1998 Regie an der Hochschule für Künste in Amsterdam. Sie arbeitete mit verschiedenen flämischen und niederländischen Kompanien zusammen, v.a. am Toneelhuis in Antwerpen (2005 bis 2009). Hier entstanden international tourende Produktionen wie „Het blauwe uur“ und „Braakland“. Lotte van den Berg arbeitet in ihren Performances sowohl mit Schauspielern als auch mit Passanten, Bürgern und Zuschauern zusammen. 2009 gründete sie die Künstlergruppe OMSK mit Basis in Dordrecht. Von einem längeren Aufenthalt 2010 in Kinshasa erzählt ihre neueste Produktion, die auf Festivals in Graz, Brüssel, Lissabon und Rotterdam zu sehen sein wird und die Lotte van den Berg in Form einer Lecture Performance im Programm von HEIMSPIEL 2011 vorstellt. (Quelle: http://www.heimspiel2011.de/de/who_is_who.html?PHPSESSID=902f6o2kb36g0m004j03bm2ou5) Lotte van de Berg studied law, sciences and philosophy before turning to theatre. During her studies Lotte ended up in Antwerp, where in 2001 she directed ‘The Alchemist’ in HETPALEIS. That same year she won her first prize, the Top Naeff Award for ‘best graduate’ at the Amsterdam theatre school. As a freelance director, she often works with young people and amateurs when creating theatre for both children and adults.Occasionally she makes theatre at the community-level, such as with inmates and guards of an Antwerp prison. Van de Berg has directed (among others) for the NNT in Groningen, The Youth Theatre Lab in Utrecht (the Netherlands), Theater Malpertuis in Tielt and Theater Stap in Turnhout (both in Belgium). In 2003 she once again returned to HETPALEIS for the creation of ‘Waarom is het verschil van dat’ (Why is the difference of that). Later that same year Lotte directed the first version of ‘Het blauwe uur’ (The blue hour) for Theater Artemis in ’s Hertogenbosch. The performance was nominated for the 1000Watt-Prize and would later be produced at the Toneelhuis in Antwerp. In 2004 Lotte made ‘Ik zou mezelf willen weggeven, maar ik weet niet aan wie’ (I’d like to donate myself but I wouldn’t know to whom) for Het Huis aan de Amstel in Amsterdam. This performance was selected for the Theatre festival and earned her the Erik Vos Award, a Dutch prize for young directors. In 2005, Toneelhuis Antwerp invited Lotte to direct a unique site-specific project in the Antwerp prison. ‘Begijnenstraat 42′ (the prison’s address) is a compelling, almost wordless performance in which inmates share the stage with wardens and professional actors. By means of simple improvisation exercises Lotte Van den Berg developed penetrating theatrical imagery. Is theatre art using community or community using art? The best is when it’s both, says Van de Berg after challenging her actors with a firm director’s hand to unblock emotions and imagination. In prison, people stop dreaming. They block emotions and their imagery is simple; almost reduced. It is a silent life, a simple life, with no room for dreams. Van de Berg approached the project from a process-oriented angle, not starting out with a form or idea but seeing where the work would lead them. In the end, the performance communicated that which needs to be told to the public, and that is one of the main reasons of art accordign to Van de Berg. Communication with responsibility in this case as the prisoners were left once again to their own avail after the intensity of working and creating in a group. Yet she believes they were all empowered from the experience, although she understands the ramifications of opening a long closed door to once emotional life and hopes.After her intense experience in the Antwerp jail, Lotte briefly returned to the Netherlands. She directed ‘In het verleden behaalde resultaten bieden geen garantie voor de toekomst’ (Results obtained in the past are no guarantee for the future) for NNT and Braakland (Wasteland) for Compagnie Dakar, and is curreuntly working out of Antwerp. Author: Annika Salomonsson (Quelle: http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?3940)