[PRESS RELEASE] Yara's Wedding PREMIUM interdisciplinary (almost) musical by NITE and Schauspiel Hannover, directed by Guy Weizman

Do we really dare to question our prejudices? Or have we become too politically correct? What can we learn from the silent voice?

Framing

Yara's Wedding is an interdisciplinary (almost) musical directed by Guy Weizman, with text by Antigone Akgün, Rasit Elibol, Mohamedou Ould Slahi Houbeini and Rik van den Bos. Together, this unique group of writers, inspired by the complex relationship between the 'East' and the 'West', wrote a performance about framing the other based on origin, colour, orientation, social status and cultural conflicts. The result is a performance about how being privileged defines your outlook. About how being poor defines your outlook. About how thinking you are entitled to something defines your outlook. And about the big consequences these uncomfortable truths can have.

Spoiler alert

Yara, Greta, Sebastian and Tony are childhood friends. They grew up in the same neighbourhood and spent long, wet summers together. They were inseparable until that one night. The night the mansion burned down.

12 years later, Yara marries Sebastian. On the occasion of the celebration, (old) friends and family go on a trip. Far away from their familiar surroundings, new bonds are forged and old conflicts come to light. In the carousel of confrontations, encounters and situations at the wedding, everyone slowly gets so drunk and emotional that no one wants to go to bed until everything that needs to be said or done has been said or done.

Music

In this (almost) musical, music naturally plays a major role. To capture the relationship between 'East' and 'West' in music too, musicians from Asko|Schönberg and Slagwerk Den Haag for Yara's Wedding work intensively with Loradeniz and Karima El Fillali, who plays the role of Yara. Both live and create at the crossroads of cultures. Loradeniz as an Istanbul-born and Amsterdam-based composer, singer and producer of electronic music. Singer Karima as a Dutch-Moroccan who beautifully blends her keen interest in and knowledge of traditional Arabic music into her own work.

About NITE

NITE = Noord Nederlands Toneel, Club Guy & Roni, Asko|Schönberg and Slagwerk Den Haag.
In a search for meaning in a rapidly changing world, NITE (national interdisciplinary theatre ensemble) creates performances as spectacular and interwoven as the world itself. After SALAM, Brave New World 2.0, Before/After and The Underground, NITE now performs Yara's Wedding.

Yara's Wedding is a co-production of NITE (and Schauspiel Hannover.

Credits

Guy Weizman in collaboration with the cast - concept

Karima El Fillali, Anja Herden, Sanne den Hartogh, Sarah Janneh, Nicolas Matthews, Bien de Moor, Igor Podsiadly, Katherina Sattler, Jésula Toussaint Visser - cast

Guy Weizman in collaboration with the cast - directing
Antigone Akgün, Rasit Elibol, Mohammedou Ould Slahi Houbeini, Rik van den Bos - writers' room
Roni Haver - choreography
Loradeniz, Karima El Fillali - composition
Friederike Schubert - dramaturgy and plot
Ascon de Nijs - decor
MAISON the FAUX - costumes
Maarten van Rossem - lighting design
Peter Zwart - sound design
David Dramm, Fedor Teunisse - musical dramaturgy
Friederike Schubert, Mohamedou Ould Slahi Houbeini, Ludy Golstein, Aska Hayakawa - translation
Asko|Schönberg and Slagwerk Den Haag musicians
Karima El Fillali - voice
Jochem Braat- synth, keyboards
Niels Meliefste - percussion
Oriol Marès - clarinet, bass clarinet

The music is produced with support from Fonds Podiumkunsten.