A multidisciplinary theatre project in 2 parts about identity and the absurd fragility of our existence.
One Million People and Me is a multidisciplinary theatre project in 2 parts about identity and the absurd fragility of our existence.
Surrealistic audiotour en dance film breaking the silence around suicide
There is only one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy. All the rest — whether or not the world has three dimensions, whether the mind has nine or twelve categories — comes afterwards.— Albert Camus
Every year nearly one million people worldwide decide to end their own life.
Suicide is one of the three biggest causes of death in an economical productive age category i.e. 15 to 44 years old.
Suicide is a very confronting and intrusive phenomena , which is often surrounded by an even greater taboo and privacy than sex.
Suicide confronts us with the absurdity of life.
It reminds us of our own finiteness and our inevitable mortality.
The separation between an individual and its own life happens often out of a sensation of absurdity.
This absurdity will be provoked each time we confront our desire for clarity and meaning with the reality of the world as it is.
A big inspiration to this project is the written work of Edouard Levé, a French writer and photographer. In 2007 he delivers the manuscript of his latest novel to the publisher. A few days later he will end his own life. His book Suicide cannot be seen any different anymore than a public farewell letter. Especially for this project Veerle van Overloop made an adaptation of this book.
CREDITS ONE MILLION PEOPLE
CONCEPT/DIRECTOR/VOICE SOUNDSCAPE Veerle van Overloop | COMPOSER/MUSICIAN SOUNDSCAPE Bert Dockx | MASK FOR ‘THE GUIDE’ Christophe Coppens | DRAMATURGY/CREATIVE PRODUCER Milan van der Zwaan | ARTISTIC MENTORSHIP Richard Gregory | PERFORMER Merel Kotterer
CREDITS AND ME
CONCEPT/DIRECTOR Veerle van Overloop | CHOREOGRAPHY Adam Peterson | DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Lex Vesseur | PERFORMERS Olympia Kotopoulos, Eliana Stragapede, Tim Stomer, Louis Thuriot, Borna Babic, Ayisha Siddiqi, Phoenix Chase- Meares, Matija Franjes
Coproduction by Station Noord, Noord Nederlands Toneel, Club Guy & Roni, Noorderzon, Oerol, Grand Theatre and Shelfish productions.
One Million People
And Me