Mining Stories
“Innovative, resonant take on a dam-burst disaster.”
The Irish Times, IR 01.10.18
“Brave, beautiful and incredibly strong!”
Republik, CH 28.08.2018
“Everything about Mining Stories feels as it should be, with great dramaturgical, philosophical and almost academic precision.”
Theaterkrant, NL 04.11.17
In November 2015, a dam containing toxic mining waste collapsed a few miles away from Silke’s childhood home in the South of Brazil. A devastating flood of mud destroyed several villages below the dam. In the next couple of days, the poisonous sludge flowed into the river Rio Doce and eventually reached the Atlantic Ocean. The ecological impact and environmental pollution was the largest ever recorded.
Silke returned to her hometown in Brazil together with her partner Hannes in order to talk to people affected by the incident and get a grip on its immense consequences. Back in Belgium they did additional interviews with experts from various fields of knowledge, amongst others a mining expert, an activism researcher and an economics professor.
Using field recordings from their conversations in Brazil and Belgium, ‘Mining Stories’ brings together multiple perspectives on the impact of the disaster. Each of the speakers tell the story of the disaster from their own context, with their own nuances and points of interest. The result is a journey through a diverse collection of personal stories crossing topics such as memory, resistance, religion, and storytelling.
'Mining Stories' was selected for Circuit X (Belgium, 2017) and was awarded the main prize at Zürcher Theaterspektakel (Switzerland, 2018) with the jury stating that "Huysmans and Dereere rely on an impressive yet simple staging, with an honest, ethical statement with regard to eco-political topics and issues.”
By & with: Silke Huysmans & Hannes Dereere
Dramaturgical advice: Dries Douibi
Production: Silke Huysmans & Hannes Dereere, Bâtard Festival, Kwp Pianofabriek
Coproduction: Kaap
With the support of: VGC & Sabam for Culture
Residencies: Kaap, Kwp Pianofabriek, Vooruit, De Grote Post, Veem House for Performance
Portuguese transcriptions: Luanda Casella, Miguel Cipriano
German translation: Anneliese Ostertag
French translation: Pamina De Coulon
Thanks to: all conversation partners
REVIEW
Der Bund, Switzerland 25.05.2018
INTERVIEW
Exit Magazine, Belgium 01.10.2017
INTERVIEW
Klara, Belgium 26.08.2017
INTERVIEW
NOS Radio 1, The Netherlands 18.08.2017
REVIEW
De Theaterkrant, Belgium 11.11.2016
INTERVIEW
De Standaard, Belgium 02.11.2016
PAST DATES:
→ 2020
06.11 | Cadiz, SP Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro
23.06 | Birmingham, UK BE Festival *
05.05 | Sint-Niklaas, BE CC Sint-Niklaas *
→ 2019
13.12 | Notre-Dame-des-Landes, FR l'Ambazada
17.10 | Loulé, PT Festival Verao Azul
10.10 | Prague, CZ 4+4 Days in Motion
27.09 | Budapest, HU Trafo
21.09 | Madrid, ES Conde Duque
20.09 | Madrid, ES Conde Duque
04.06 | London, UK 2 Degrees Festival
24.04 | Genk, BE C-mine
23.03 | Paris, FR La Villette
22.03 | Paris, FR La Villette
→ 2018
17.11 | Dresden, DE Fast Forward
16.11 | Dresden, DE Fast Forward
11.11 | Antwerp, BE CC Berchem
10.11 | Ghent, BE Arca NTGent
30.09 | Dublin, IRL Dublin Theatre Festival
29.09 | Dublin, IRL Dublin Theatre Festival
28.09 | Dublin, IRL Dublin Theatre Festival
21.09 | Antwerp, BE CC Brasschaat
30.08 | Ljubljana, SI Mladi Levi
28.08 | Zurich, CH Zurcher Theater Spektakel
27.08 | Zurich, CH Zurcher Theater Spektakel
26.08 | Zurich, CH Zurcher Theater Spektakel
12.08 | Hasselt, BE Theater op de Markt
11.08 | Hasselt, BE Theater op de Markt
08.08 | Vienna, AT Impuls Tanz Festival
06.08 | Vienna, AT Impuls Tanz Festival
24.05 | Bern, CH Auawirleben
23.05 | Bern, CH Auawirleben
21.04 | Dilbeek, BE Mooov Festival
24.03 | Den Bosch, NL Festival Cement
23.03 | Den Bosch, NL Festival Cement
22.03 | Den Bosch, NL Festival Cement
23.02 | Geneva, CH Theatre de l'Usine
22.02 | Geneva, CH Theatre de l'Usine
21.02 | Geneva, CH Theatre de l'Usine
16.02 | Leuven, BE Artefact Festival
15.02 | Leuven, BE Artefact Festival
10.02 | Brussels, BE Beursschouwburg
09.02 | Brussels, BE Beursschouwburg
27.01 | Marseille, FR Parallele Festival
25.01 | Herentals, BE CC 't Schaliken
→ 2017
15.12 | Ghent, BE Campo
14.12 | Ghent, BE Campo
11.11 | Munich, DE Spielart
10.11 | Harelbeke, BE Next Festival
08.11 | Bremen, De Schwankhalle
07.11 | Bremen, De Schwankhalle
28.10 | Amsterdam, NL Veem House for Performance
27.10 | Amsterdam, NL Veem House for Performance
26.10 | Mechelen, BE Nona
20.10 | Bruges, BE Kaap
05.10 | Bucharest, RO Explore Festival
31.08 | Brussels, BE Het Theaterfestival
20.08 | Groningen, NL Noorderzon Festival
19.08 | Groningen, NL Noorderzon Festival
18.08 | Groningen, NL Noorderzon Festival
17.08 | Groningen, NL Noorderzon Festival
→ 2016
04.11 | Brussels, BE Batard Festival
* cancelled / postponed due to covid-19
Mining Stories
“Innovative, resonant take on a dam-burst disaster.”
The Irish Times, IR 01.10.18
“Brave, beautiful and incredibly strong!”
Republik, CH 28.08.2018
“Everything about Mining Stories feels as it should be, with great dramaturgical, philosophical and almost academic precision.”
Theaterkrant, NL 04.11.17
In November 2015, a dam containing toxic mining waste collapsed a few miles away from Silke’s childhood home in the South of Brazil. A devastating flood of mud destroyed several villages below the dam. In the next couple of days, the poisonous sludge flowed into the river Rio Doce and eventually reached the Atlantic Ocean. The ecological impact and environmental pollution was the largest ever recorded.
Silke returned to her hometown in Brazil together with her partner Hannes in order to talk to people affected by the incident and get a grip on its immense consequences. Back in Belgium they did additional interviews with experts from various fields of knowledge, amongst others a mining expert, an activism researcher and an economics professor.
Using field recordings from their conversations in Brazil and Belgium, ‘Mining Stories’ brings together multiple perspectives on the impact of the disaster. Each of the speakers tell the story of the disaster from their own context, with their own nuances and points of interest. The result is a journey through a diverse collection of personal stories crossing topics such as memory, resistance, religion, and storytelling.
'Mining Stories' was selected for Circuit X (Belgium, 2017) and was awarded the main prize at Zürcher Theaterspektakel (Switzerland, 2018) with the jury stating that "Huysmans and Dereere rely on an impressive yet simple staging, with an honest, ethical statement with regard to eco-political topics and issues.”
By & with: Silke Huysmans & Hannes Dereere
Dramaturgical advice: Dries Douibi
Production: Silke Huysmans & Hannes Dereere, Bâtard Festival, Kwp Pianofabriek
Coproduction: Kaap
With the support of: VGC & Sabam for Culture
Residencies: Kaap, Kwp Pianofabriek, Vooruit, De Grote Post, Veem House for Performance
Portuguese transcriptions: Luanda Casella, Miguel Cipriano
German translation: Anneliese Ostertag
French translation: Pamina De Coulon
Thanks to: all conversation partners
REVIEW
Der Bund, Switzerland 25.05.2018
INTERVIEW
Exit Magazine, Belgium 01.10.2017
INTERVIEW
Klara, Belgium 26.08.2017
INTERVIEW
NOS Radio 1, The Netherlands 18.08.2017
REVIEW
De Theaterkrant, Belgium 11.11.2016
INTERVIEW
De Standaard, Belgium 02.11.2016
PAST DATES:
→ 2020
06.11 | Cadiz, SP Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro
23.06 | Birmingham, UK BE Festival *
05.05 | Sint-Niklaas, BE CC Sint-Niklaas *
→ 2019
13.12 | Notre-Dame-des-Landes, FR l'Ambazada
17.10 | Loulé, PT Festival Verao Azul
10.10 | Prague, CZ 4+4 Days in Motion
27.09 | Budapest, HU Trafo
21.09 | Madrid, ES Conde Duque
20.09 | Madrid, ES Conde Duque
04.06 | London, UK 2 Degrees Festival
24.04 | Genk, BE C-mine
23.03 | Paris, FR La Villette
22.03 | Paris, FR La Villette
→ 2018
17.11 | Dresden, DE Fast Forward
16.11 | Dresden, DE Fast Forward
11.11 | Antwerp, BE CC Berchem
10.11 | Ghent, BE Arca NTGent
30.09 | Dublin, IRL Dublin Theatre Festival
29.09 | Dublin, IRL Dublin Theatre Festival
28.09 | Dublin, IRL Dublin Theatre Festival
21.09 | Antwerp, BE CC Brasschaat
30.08 | Ljubljana, SI Mladi Levi
28.08 | Zurich, CH Zurcher Theater Spektakel
27.08 | Zurich, CH Zurcher Theater Spektakel
26.08 | Zurich, CH Zurcher Theater Spektakel
12.08 | Hasselt, BE Theater op de Markt
11.08 | Hasselt, BE Theater op de Markt
08.08 | Vienna, AT Impuls Tanz Festival
06.08 | Vienna, AT Impuls Tanz Festival
24.05 | Bern, CH Auawirleben
23.05 | Bern, CH Auawirleben
21.04 | Dilbeek, BE Mooov Festival
24.03 | Den Bosch, NL Festival Cement
23.03 | Den Bosch, NL Festival Cement
22.03 | Den Bosch, NL Festival Cement
23.02 | Geneva, CH Theatre de l'Usine
22.02 | Geneva, CH Theatre de l'Usine
21.02 | Geneva, CH Theatre de l'Usine
16.02 | Leuven, BE Artefact Festival
15.02 | Leuven, BE Artefact Festival
10.02 | Brussels, BE Beursschouwburg
09.02 | Brussels, BE Beursschouwburg
27.01 | Marseille, FR Parallele Festival
25.01 | Herentals, BE CC 't Schaliken
→ 2017
15.12 | Ghent, BE Campo
14.12 | Ghent, BE Campo
11.11 | Munich, DE Spielart
10.11 | Harelbeke, BE Next Festival
08.11 | Bremen, De Schwankhalle
07.11 | Bremen, De Schwankhalle
28.10 | Amsterdam, NL Veem House for Performance
27.10 | Amsterdam, NL Veem House for Performance
26.10 | Mechelen, BE Nona
20.10 | Bruges, BE Kaap
05.10 | Bucharest, RO Explore Festival
31.08 | Brussels, BE Het Theaterfestival
20.08 | Groningen, NL Noorderzon Festival
19.08 | Groningen, NL Noorderzon Festival
18.08 | Groningen, NL Noorderzon Festival
17.08 | Groningen, NL Noorderzon Festival
→ 2016
04.11 | Brussels, BE Batard Festival
* cancelled / postponed due to covid-19