True Copy
In 1994, the French police stormed Geert Jan Jansen's estate and confiscated over 1600 forged works in the style of Picasso, Dalí, Appel and others. For over 20 years up to this point, Jansen had fooled the art world so much that Picasso and Appel themselves confirmed the authenticity of some of these works. But a trivial clerical error blew the lid off everything.
In «True Copy», Jansen unrolls his life story, and the Belgian collective BERLIN questions the value of authenticity. Why is it so important who painted a picture when it is beautiful either way? And who is ultimately to blame for this forgery scandal? The forger or the hypocritical art business that created the structure for this in the first place?
The tweaking of reality is a central component of BERLIN's work. Thus, the staging of «True Copy» began even before the premiere: BERLIN faked the discovery of a previously lost Picasso drawing in November 2018. The international press was in a frenzy until the group solved the mystery after a few days and presented Jansen as the originator of the copy.
On 7.5. there will be an audience discussion following the show.
BERLIN was founded in 2003 by Yves Degryse, Bart Baele and Caroline Rochlitz in Antwerp. The group turns documentary material into multimedia performances in which the audience often can no longer distinguish between theatre and reality. In 2015, BERLIN was a guest at auawirleben with the video installation «Perhaps all the Dragons». In 2020, «True Copy», was invited but had to be cancelled. We are now enthusiastically re-inviting the piece.
On 7.5. Luk Sponselee from BERLIN will be in action as DJ MammaLuk in the Grosse Halle after the concert.
Relaxed Performance
The performance on 7.5. is a Relaxed Performance. The audience space is not completely darkened. There are no loud noises. The audience is allowed to go out and come back in during the performance. The audience is not expected to sit completely still. Babies and children are welcome. There are some alternative seating options (wedges, cushions, etc.) available by the entrance.
There is a quiet corner in the lower part of the foyer.
The performance lasts 1 hour 20 minutes, there is no intermission. In a short moment, the performers interact with the audience. But no one who doesn't want to has to come forward.
For people with mobility disabilities
Dampfzentrale is wheelchair accessible. There are stair lifts to the foyer, the Turbinensaal and the toilets. The staff will be happy to help you operate the lifts. The theatre has a barrier-free toilet. If you are coming with a wheelchair, please contact us in advance so that we can reserve an appropriate seat for you: silja.gruner@auawirleben.ch
Surtitles
The text spoken in Dutch is subtitled in German and English. A short English passage has no surtitles. The surtitles do not include additional information about sounds and music. However, the performance is comprehensible even without sound.
Special Check-In
We offer the possibility of a Special Check-In. If for any reason you would like to avoid the crowded foyer, have trouble getting into the hall with the crowd, need a special seat or require assistance due to a mobility restriction, please contact us in advance (silja.gruner@auawirleben.ch). Someone from the team will accompany you according to your needs.
Social Story
Social Stories are used as a tool to prepare people for public events such as theatre performances. In our Social Stories you will find a description for each performance, what situation to expect at the venue and what customs apply there. You can find the PDF for the Social Story (in German) of «True Copy» here.
- Concept, Direction
- BERLIN (Bart Baele, Yves Degryse)
- With
- Geert Jan Jansen, Eveline Martens
- Assistant Geert Jan Jansen
- Luk Sponselee
- Video
- BERLIN, Geert De Vleesschauwer, Jessica Ridderhof, Dirk Bosmans
- Video Editing
- BERLIN, Geert De Vleesschauwer, Fien Leysen
- Set Design
- Manu Siebens, Ina Peeters, BERLIN
- Lightning Design
- Barbara De Wit
- Technical Coordination
- Manu Siebens, Geert De Vleesschauwer
- Music
- Peter Van Laerhoven
- Piano
- Govaart Haché
- Cello
- Katelijn Van Kerckhoven
- Live-Mixing
- Arnold Bastiaanse
- Production Management
- Celeste Driesen, Jessica Ridderhof
- Business Management
- Kurt Lannoye
Co-Production: deSingel, LE CENTQUATRE, Het Zuidelijk Toneel, Brighton Festival, C-TAKT, Theaterfestival Boulevard, PACT Zollverein
berlinberlin.be