Islands - Insels - Islas - Νήσοι

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were. Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee”, John, GB (quoting John Donne).

Islands – Insels – Islas – Νήσοι is a new and original piece of theater, written and created collaboratively by Persona Theatre Company (Cyprus), Théâtre Sans Frontières (UK), MCB Gestión Cultural (Spain) and Theater Wahlverwandte (Germany).

Three of the companies involved in the project are based on islands on the margins of Europe and the fourth is from Berlin which was an “island”, metaphorically during the cold war. We therefore wished to explore the question “What does it mean to live on an island in Europe?” We are a part of Europe and yet distant from the mainland. How does this shape our identity, our self-awareness and our relationship with the rest of Europe? What is the common cultural history that we share together and that informs our everyday view of the rest of Europe and the wider world beyond?

We can look out across the sea and imagine what lies beyond, we can receive visitors from other places who may come seeking either refuge or pleasure but equally we may choose to “lock the door” and remain isolated from the outside world. The water that surrounds us can either invite us to travel or keep us at home. The choices we make in our everyday lives impact directly on who we are, our sense of self identity and our relationships with others.

Islands – Insels – Islas – Νήσοι explores the theme of what it means to live on an island in Europe in a historical, contemporary and futuristic manner. We drew upon and synthesized a variety of different sources to write and create this new and original piece of theatre.

Producer: Sarah Kemp (UK)
Director: Franziska-Theresa Schültz (Germany)
Set designer: Jane Heather (UK)
Composer: Juan Belda (Canary Islands)
Video artist/Producer: Nicoleta Kalatha (Cyprus)
Producer: Katja Kettner (Germany)
Producer: Carlos Belda (Canary Islands)
Producer: Hans Piesbergen (Germany)

With

John Cobb (UK)
Carlos Belda (Canary Islands)
Hans Piesbergen (Germany)
Becky Jameson (UK)
Silke Buchholz (Germany)
Josefa Suarez (Canary Islands)
Diomedes Koufteros (Cyprus)