Anne Sophie Kapsner is the german participating artist in the Future Laboratory, a performing arts network connecting artists and audiences to find the European narratives of tomorrow. A network of 12 European partners is launching this pilot project of research residencies on the topic of social integration throughout Europe. 15 emerging artists are selected to conduct research in three residencies in three different cities.
Anne’s first residence took place in March 2023 at Nowy Teatr in Warsaw, Poland. In April 2024 Anne went to Condeduque Madrid, Spain, where they were also an artist in residence at the Goethe Institut. For their last residency Anne went to the romanian countryside and Teatrul Tineretului in Piatra Neamț, Romania.
Anne started researching queer bodies and identities in oppressive systems in Warsaw. Anne wrote a text fragment called „WHAT YOU DON’T SEE or EATING TRAUMA“ there which was performed by themselves and further developed and staged in Munich in January 2024 at PATHOS Theater.
Caused by the sudden death by their younger brother in November 2023 – in the middle of the Future Laboratory – Anne felt the need to change their topic. Anne’s research in Spain and Romania is dealing with death, grief and mourning. Based on this Anne is working on the play „[Without Title]“ that wants to give the unspeakable a language and tells of loss and pain from the perspective of a grieving woman named Cleo. But which also wants to crystallize the absurdities in the loss.
During the residences, each institution will offer the artists the opportunity to access local resources – organisations, foundations, artists, members of local communities, etc. who will allow them to study socio-political realities present in each partner theatre and the city where it is based. The aim of the residences is to formulate ideas for projects based on the most vital, pressing issues involving social integration, as well as new and nonexistent narratives which, according to artists, should be presented on theatrical stages of the future.
The partners are:
- Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
- Conde Duque Centro de Cultura Contemporanea, Madrid (Spain)
- Cyclorama (France)
- Queens Theatre Hornchurch (United Kingdom)
- Théâtre de Liège (Belgium)
- Staatstheater Mainz (Germany)
- Nowy Teatr, Warsaw (Poland)
- Teatrul Tineretului, Piatra Neamt (Romania)
- Piccolo Teatro di Milano – Teatro d’Europa (Italy)
- Teatro Municipal do Porto (Portugal)
- Comédie de Reims (France)
- Théâtre National de Strasbourg (France)
