A disaster radio play with shooting, singing and Martians, age 9+.
We are in the radio studio of RadioTeatr, where the evening program "Popular Science Hour" will start soon. Radio Orkestar is tuning in, the host is rehearsing the text, technician Jakob Bunda is fixing the lamp in the studio, which seems to have lost contact. Here it is, shining again!
Well done Jakob... And far away, somewhere in the heart of Istria, in the Observatory in Višnjan, reporter Žiga Hren looks restlessly at the starry sky and at his wristwatch that he inherited from his late uncle Rudolf... He is impatiently waiting for his first call this evening.
On the other hand, the first curious people gather at Radio Kavana and push around the tables on which there are radio-detectors for reception, the line for headphones has become hectic because…
We will be on the air soon!
The evaluation of this radiophonic theatre play started in March 2021, at its premiere show by observation of the parts of the process in which children act as soundmakers (artists-children as vulnerable groups). Based on the observed situtations in the piece itself and the epidemiological restrictions of live participations in rehearsals and shows, the researcher decided to create an arts-based game designed for children as a 'memory game' based on the interview questions and analysis of the selected scenes directly after rehearsals (or through retrospective video-analysis of selected scenes, if live performances will not be possible). As further live performances of the piece in November 2021 were not possible because of the pandemic, so the recording of the piece was showed via Youtube, the researcher was not able to visit the rehearsals or show and do the planned method 'in site'. This is why research with the children is postponed for the first half of 2022 and depends of the situation with pandemic and further rehearsal/performance plans of the Radiotheatre. One of the expected outputs is an arts-based game as a research tool.
Additional evaluation activities - conversations: In order to follow the dynamic of the Radioteatar and the process of creation in the pandemic times, taking into consideration that some of the authors of the play are 80+ years old so this 'analogue, old-school' approach is much closer to their age (and respecting/taking care of their health by not meeting them in person), the researcher created special letters made by research questions. Currently, she is corresponding letters with two artists from the Radioteatar – the process is planned to finish in the first half of 2022, since the 80+ artist is still in the progress of creting radioplays/podcasts for toddlers (Activity no. 82) Besides methodological and practical reasons of using letters in research, which are much closer as a tool of collecting data to elderly people, the aim of using letters is to open the possibility for artists to use them to show the outputs of the research as an artistic product. That even opens the possibility of using a/r/tographic research in creation of some future theatre plays.
Credits
From the live studio:
Ivana Starčević (as Milena Begović)
Sven Medvešek (as Fric Maramica and Oton Kučera)
Matija Antolić (as Jakob Bunda and Blaž Konjski)
Texts and instructions from the director • Pavlica Bajsić Brazzoduro
Music • Marko Levanić and Ivana Starčević
Stage movement • Srđan Sorić
Radio drama excerpts • Dino Brazzoduro and Dalibor Piskrec
Lighting • Sara Bundalo
Scenography • Matej Kniewald
A handful of borrowed voices • Janko Rakoš, Živko Anočić, Jerko Marčić, Jelena Miholjević, Ljubica Letinić and Tihana Ostreš
Production • Katarina Krešić
Photography • Mia Cvitković
The project was realized with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, the Kultura Nova Foundation, Creative Europe ("B-air" project).
Created in cooperation between RadioTeatar and the "Ribnjak" Youth Center.
Video trailer:
