Sanjoy Ganguly
Jana Sanskriti - India

Film - Discussion - Masterclass

June, 29, 2007

Theatre, Participation and Politics
Discussion with artists and politicians

The new Dutch government wants "to work together for growth, sustainability, respect and solitdarity". The objective is a society "in which we have an eye for each other and (…) do justice to each others' opportunities and talents, (…) in which particularly the inner force of society is used and in which creativity and self-initiative are supported."

At the same time, in the Art & Culture chapter, there is no mention of their potential role towards these objectives. Art is considered as a product, a commodity, and is valued on its output, not on the outcome of processes initiated by art. Formaat uses Theatre as a method, not as the final result.

In some cases, and perhaps in many more that haven't been tried yet, we have shown that through Theatre some objectives can be reached more easily and in a more sustainable way than by regular means. So why doesn't the government invest in Participatory Drama, in projects, in training, in institutions.

A few compelling statements will be presented to a panel in which Sanjoy Ganguly, Professor Eugene van Erven and Ronald Matthijssen of Formaat will participate. The list of prominent politicians joining the discussion can be found on the news section.

Jana Sanskriti: A Theater on the Field
A Film by Jeanne Dosse

After the discussion, a film about the work of Jana Sanskriti in India will be shown. Sanjoy Ganguly will answer questions from the participants after the film.

Entrance fee € 10 (Masterclass participants free) Location Workplace for Participatory Drama, Westzeedijk 513, 3024 EL Rotterdam Registration info@formaat.org

June, 30 & July 1, 2007

Masterclass
By Sanjoy Ganguly

Sanjoy Ganguly, director of Jana Sanskriti, will give a two-day participatory drama workshop, addressing the following issues:

• Exploration and comprehension of the body language through games and exercises.
• Create a space where the participants can act emotionally and rationally
• Teach the techniques to develop the aptitudes to construct powerful images of life
• Develop the text of a forum theatre
  Structure a play with a strong sense of esthetics - through the exploration of abstractions, of symbols and with the help of Bengali traditional arts plus the utilization of minimalist accessories easily found.
• How to develop the sense of unity between actors and spect-actors.
• Stress the pertinences and the actuality of forum theatre by analyzing the role that theatre played in the political history of Bengal.

Location: Workplace for Participatory Drama, Westzeedijk 513, 3024 EL Rotterdam Fee: € 225 including lunch; discount is negotiable for participants with a low income. Please contact info@formaat.org Registration To book a place on the Masterclass, just fill in the booking form and send it as soon as possible, as the number of places is limited.