sociocultural project with refugees in Vienna

Once a week ten to twelve refugees from different countries of Africa, Afgahnstian and Turkey meet at the FLEISCHEREI for a cordial exchange, common theater play and improvisations, coffee, cake and discussion.

ASYLCAFÉ ist a project of the association ACT NOW – theater arbeit in cooperation with brunnen.passage (Caritas Vienna) and BUTCHERIE (FLEISCHEREI).
Idea/Concept: Eva Brenner (FLEISCHEREI) & Konrad Hofer (sociologist, author), socio-pedagogical collaboration: Ahmet Zavlak (brunnen.passage).

Kick-off: March 28th, 2-6 pm / Then every week on THURSDAYS, 1:30-6 pm

ASYLCAFÉ creates a new accent on integration and politics by offering refugees a place for exchange, creativity, pluralism, different cultures, traditions and religions. The open alternative theater space BUTCHERIE which deals with multiple intercultural theater projects, opens its spaces as center of encounter for refugees. With thematically oriented theater work (Play & Improvsiation, Music & Video with oral histories) the direct exchange begtween refugees and parts of the socalled majority society on a new level.

PROJECT STRUCTURE & TIME TABLE

The creative work is concieved in two phases – three months in the spring and three months in the fall of 1968.  Each phase ends with a performance in front of a wider local audience, based on personal material and texts created in the workshops.  The start-up builds the integratative theater workshop at the beginning of phase one. The restuls of this first step is used to creatae the second and third phases, focused on music and video. Like the strings of a multifaceted carpet indiviudal and collective songs, images, and textual materials overlap and collide to converge in a process of sceneic creations.Central to the work is the authenticity of appraoch in the use of personal biographies experineces and desires of the participating refugees. Here, creativity is practically rehearsed and utlized - lading beyond language and cultural boundaries and including the transfer of technology and know-how as well as dynamic group experiences.

WORKSHOPS / Training

1. Theater, Play & Improvisation
   Directed by Maren Rahmann (D), Nuray Ammicht(A/TR)

2. Music, Singing & Improvisation
   Directed by Maren Rahmann, Nuray Ammicht(A/TR),

3. Video Work & Oral Histories
   Eva Brenner (A/USA), Andreas Pamperl (A)

Final Performances: July 3rd and 4th, 2008, 8 pm, brunnen.passage (Caritas Wien) Yppenplatz 1160 Wien
July 5th, 2008, 8 pm FLEISCHEREI

General Directing and Mise-en-scène: Eva Brenner (A/USA)
Dramaturgical Consultation/socialogist: Konrad Hofer (A)
Socio-pedagogical consultation: Ahmet Zavlak (TR)
Assistant: Katka Csanyiova (SK)

With special support by: Kulturamt der Stadt Wien/Interkulturelle Aktivitäten, KulturKontakt Austria, FSG der MitarbeiterInnen der AK-Wien, Bezirksvorstehung 16. Bezirk und privaten Sponsoren.