4’33” IN BAGHDAD at St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival
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- June 13, 2018
Two Shows left this Thursday!
Ülfet Sevdi and Nicolas Royer-Artuso look forward to pleasantly puzzling the public with their debut of 4’33” IN BAGHDAD, a subtle scholarly striptease disguised as saucy stand-up TED Talk comedy. Directed by Sevdi, performed by Royer-Artuso and co-written by the two, 4’33” IN BAGHDAD is an immersive and interactive experience that will run as part of Fringe Fest at the MAI from June 8 to 14.
Theoretically grounded, conceptual and experimental, the performance cleverly couples themes of war, invasion, imperialism and academic research with avant-garde art theory, sound art and imposed sound installations (though, not necessarily in that order!
Earlier manifestations of 4’33” IN BAGHDAD in its short version had heads turning at various Canadian benchmarks in 2017, including Toronto’s Festival of Original Theatre, the Montreal International Anarchist Theatre Festival, ShazamFest and Solidarity & Fightback, as well as Odd Stumble’s Archipelago event at the Rialto Theatre earlier this year. Following its updated incarnation as a 40-minute multidisciplinary performance that will debut at the Montreal Fringe Festival, 4’33” IN BAGHDAD will head off to entice (and entrap!) audiences in July at Toronto Fringe ahead of its publication in the Canadian Theatre Review.
ABOUT THE CREATORS:
Ülfet Sevdi is a writer, theatre director, dramaturge and Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner, currently enrolled in an MA at Concordia University’s INDI program. Her work in oral history and the social narrative is theoretically grounded in feminist theory and the social sciences. To elaborate and share her personal aesthetic experience, she often collaborates with artists from various artistic backgrounds by conducting workshops that build on narrative techniques.
Nicolas Royer-Artuso is a writer, composer, musician, linguist, musicologist, music teacher and Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner. He has directed numerous ensembles of ‘maqam’ music and is a proficient free improviser. A key aspect of his academic and musical work is the theoretical and practical use of heterophony, as well as phonology, morphology and the interface between the two.
Together they form Thought Experiment Productions, whose mission is to present a reflection on crucial contemporary socio-political themes. Its approach is highly conceptual, experimental, and theoretically grounded in the critical social sciences. Ultimately, Thought Experiment Productions is engaged in the creation of political art that is artistically satisfying and of aesthetics that are politically satisfying.
Location & Showtimes:
MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels)
3680 Jeanne-Mance, Montreal, H2X 2K5
Thursday, June 14 – 5:00 PM & 10:00 PM
General Admission 16+
$10 + $2.50 (service charge)
514-849-FEST
