Making their UK premiere are Casabranca, Ana Borralho & João Galante (Portugal) with Atlas Birmingham.
We are inviting 100 people from across Birmingham to be part of this large-scale inspirational project to create a living map of the city.
The performance starts with one person, then two and culminates with 100 people on stage. Using the children’s nursery rhyme, “If one elephant disturbs many people, two elephants disturb much more, if two elephants disturb many people, three elephants disturb much more…”. But, instead of elephants, performers express a heartfelt problem or desire.
In Greek Mythology Atlas was condemned to stand with the Earth and Heavens on his shoulders. Atlas Birmingham takes inspiration from the artist Joseph Beuys whose extended definition of art and ideas of social sculpture espoused “we are the revolution” and “everybody is an artist” who could potentially reshape society and politics.
The result is a landscape of people from different backgrounds, professions, beliefs, ages and races claiming their position on society, individually as well as in a group, mapping a sort of “atlas” highlighting the complexity and cohesion of the city’s social fabric.
This is a quiet revolution motivated by the belief that art should play an active role in society and that theatre is a political space.
Would you like to be part of Atlas Birmingham?
We are looking to engage with an entire cross section of Birmingham residents and are interested in people from as many professions, cultures, ethnicities, ages and dis/abilities possible in order to recreate a map that represents the city. This means you could be employed, unemployed, retired, a student, new to the city, born here, moved here, anything counts.
No experience of theatre or drama is necessary.
For more information and to register, click here.
