The legendary Needcompany, an artists’ collective headed by Jan Lauwers and Grace Ellen Barkey, has reinvented itself many times in the course of its history, significantly changing and enriching the world of theatre with cross-genre performances over the past twenty-five years. Jan Lauwers was awarded the Golden Lion for theatre at this year’s Venice Biennale for his experimental life’s work.
In “All Tomorrow’s Parties I + II”, the Needcompany not only stay true to their spirit of adventure, but also push their game of crossing boundaries even further, once again entering new terrain. They use drama, dance, music, text, stage art and, last but not least, ample video material in their production developed specially for steirischer herbst and geared to the city of Graz – in what is a pleasurable roaming, a happening celebrated for hours on end which blurs the boundaries between art and entertainment. For one thing, in order to draw attention to the threat posed by the constantly grinding entertainment machinery, by the unending party.
A nation that loses itself in a party ceases to exist: according to Needcompany. At the same time, however, the aim is to celebrate what we still have in common, what we share as human beings, and what we have not yet lost. An evening that powerfully celebrates the clash of contradictions. A festival opening as a tightrope walk with no safety net, a singular event in every sense.