'We did get quite a kick out of spectators at the beginning: "How dare you treat the actors like that? First you put a mask on them, then you steal their voices and make them playback!'' Richard Jansen couldn't care less. As a sound designer, he is part of director Susanne Kennedy's creative team at the Munich Kammerspiele. And that results in very special performances.
The Drei Schwestern, which was to play at this year's Holland Festival, is by that team. And it is a typical example of their work looking more like a video art installation than a play. We hear texts by Chekhov, and there are three sisters on stage, but then it pretty much stops there. Indeed, the actors have masks on, are unrecognisable and their voices do not appear to be their voices. These were recorded by Richard Jansen from people on the street. The actors playback, although lip-synching is not necessary because of the masks.
Colosseum
So some onlookers fall for that. 'I find that a derogatory way of thinking. As if we lock the actors in a basement and whip them into the stage. It's not the Coliseum. The actors do this voluntarily. Nobody does it because they don't want to. You also choose in advance in the ensemble what you want to participate in. There are actors in the Kammerspiele's ensemble who have been doing this with us for years. And who are happy to participate again next time.'
'Maybe there are actors who say: you are taking something from me, but there are equally actors who say: you are offering me something. A mask, a different voice. You can do new things with that. And when people say: anyone can do that, I assure you it's bloody difficult. You are on stage. You get a beep in your ear as a cue to do a new action, then that text comes. You have to be terribly alert as an actor.'
Follow the entire conversation with the former Fatal Flowers singer in this video.
Good to knowThe video recording of Drei Schwestern can be seen on Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 June at the Holland Festival website.
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