Mining Stories
Mining Stories is a documentary theatre performance based on the research Silke Huysmans and Hannes Dereere did on a recent mining disaster in Brazil.
On the 5th of November 2015 a dam containing toxic mining waste collapsed in the mountains of the mining region Minas Gerais, Brazil where Silke grew up as a child. A devastating flood of mud destroyed several villages before flowing into the six hundred kilometers long river Rio Doce. Silke returned to Brazil with 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 economist Paul De Grauwe and mining expert Lindsay Newland Bowker, amongst others. Each of them tells 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, politics, religion, and storytelling.
Mining Stories was awarded the main prize at Zürcher Theaterspektakel in 2018, with the jury arguing 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
‘Interessante denkoefening rond mijnramp’
De Theaterkrant (Belgium, 11.11.2016)
REVIEW
‘Noorderzon review – Noorderzon biedt sensationele acrobatiek en liefdesduetten op de brommer’
NRC Handelsblad (The Netherlands, 20.08.2017)
REVIEW
‘Das kann nur der Anfang sein, nicht abder das Ende’
Der Bund (Switzerland, 25.05.2018)
REVIEW
‘Ohne Rolf, Mit Ernst’
Berner Oberländer (Switzerland, 25.05.2018)
REVIEW
‘Exzellente Dokuperformance’
Der Standard (Austria, 07.08.2018)
REVIEW
‘Wo Sprache sich nicht mehr auskennt’
Perlentaucher Kulturmagazin (Austria, 08.08.2018)
REVIEW
‘Impulstanz-Bilanz: Verlässlich, aber mit künstlerischen Krisen’
Der Standard (Austria, 10.08.2018)
REVIEW
‘ImpulsTanz: Die Highlights Der Vierten Festivalwoche’
Österreich Journal (Austria, 10.08.2018)
REVIEW
‘Mutig, schön und unglaublich stark!’
Der Republik (Switzerland, 28.08.2018)
JURY REVIEW
‘Zürcher Theaterspektakel, ZKB Förderpreis 2018’
Zürcher Theaterspektakel (Switzerland, 01.09.2018)
REVIEW
‘Rudarske Zgodbe: Poskus Dehierarhizacije’
Kriterij (Slovenia, 14.09.2018)
REVIEW
‘One of the most engaging sixty minutes you’ll spend at this year’s Dublin Theatre Festival’
The Reviews Hub (Dublin, 29.09.2018)
REVIEW
‘Innovative, resonant take on a dam burst disaster’
The Irish Times (Dublin, 01.10.2018)
INTERVIEW
‘Rampgebied en hoe het weer op te bouwen’
De Standaard (02.11.2016)
INTERVIEW
‘Luisteren naar een collage van stemmen’
Robbert van Heuven, Noorderzon (17.08.2017)
RADIO INTERVIEW
‘Noorderzon ondergronds’
NOS Radio 1 (18.08.2017)
RADIO INTERVIEW
‘Belmondo’
Klara (26.08.2017)
INTERVIEW
‘Ons werk heeft altijd een documentair karakter’
Exit Magazine (Belgium, 01.10.2017)
ESSAY
‘The essay in times of crisis’
Performance Philosophy (United Kingdom, 03.09.2018)
ESSAY
‘Thinking out loud. Essayistic figures on stage.’
Etcetera (Belgium, 28.11.2018)
ESSAY
‘Exploring the Essay in the New Documentary Turn. Mining Stories by Hannes Dereere & Silke Huysmans and Syden by Hedvig Biong, Pablo Castilla & Niko Hafkenscheid’
Documenta (Belgium, 06.08.2018)
UPCOMING DATES:
June 23: BE Festival, Birmingham (UK) *cancelled
PAST DATES:
→ 2019
May 5: CC Sint-Niklaas, Sint-Niklaas (BE) *cancelled
Dec 13: l'Ambazada, Notre-Dame-des-Landes (FR)
Oct 17: Festival Verão Azul, Loulé (PT)
Oct 10: 4+4 Days in Motion, Prague (CZ)
Sep 27: Trafó, Budapest (HU)
Sep 21: Conde duque, Madrid (ES)
Sep 20: Conde duque, Madrid (ES)
Jun 4: 2 Degrees Festival, London (UK)
Apr 24: C-Mine cultuurcentrum, Genk (BE)
Mar 23: La Villette, Paris (FR)
Mar 22: La Villette, Paris (FR)
→ 2018
Nov 17: Fast Forward, Dresden (DE)
Nov 16: Fast Forward, Dresden (DE)
Nov 11: CC Berchem, Antwerp (BE)
Nov 10: Arca NTGent, Ghent (BE)
Sep 30: Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 29: (19:45) Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 29: (15:45) Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 28: Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 21: CC Brasschaat, Antwerp (BE)
Aug 30: Mladi Levi, Ljubljana (SI)
Aug 28: Zürcher Theaterspektakel, Zurich (CH)
Aug 27: Zürcher Theaterspektakel, Zurich (CH)
Aug 26: Zürcher Theaterspektakel, Zurich (CH)
Aug 12: Theater op de Markt, Hasselt (BE)
Aug 11: Theater op de Markt, Hasselt (BE)
Aug 8: ImpulsTanz Festival, Vienna (AT)
Aug 6: ImpulsTanz Festival, Vienna (AT)
May 24: Auawirleben, Bern (CH)
May 23: Auawirleben, Bern (CH)
Apr 21: MOOOV Festival, Dilbeek (BE)
Mar 24: Festival Cement, Den Bosch (NL)
Mar 23: Festival Cement, Den Bosch (NL)
Mar 22: Festival Cement, Den Bosch (NL)
Feb 23: Théâtre de l'Usine, Geneva (CH)
Feb 22: Théâtre de l'Usine, Geneva (CH)
Feb 21: Théâtre de l'Usine, Geneva (CH)
Feb 16: Artefact Festival, Stuk, Leuven (BE)
Feb 15: Artefact Festival, Stuk, Leuven (BE)
Feb 10: Beursschouwburg, Brussels (BE)
Feb 9: Beursschouwburg, Brussels (BE)
Jan 27: Parallèle Festival, Marseille (FR)
Jan 25: CC ’t Schaliken, Herentals (BE)
→ 2017
Dec 15: Campo, Ghent (BE)
Dec 14: Campo, Ghent (BE)
Nov 11: Spielart, Munich (DE)
Nov 10: Next Festival, Harelbeke (BE)
Nov 8: Schwankhalle, Bremen (DE)
Nov 7: Schwankhalle, Bremen (DE)
Oct 28: Veem House for Performance, Amsterdam (NL)
Oct 27: Veem House for Performance, Amsterdam (NL)
Oct 26: Kunstencentrum Nona, Mechelen (BE)
Oct 20: Kaap, De Werf, Bruges (BE)
Oct 5: Explore Festival, Bucharest (RO)
Aug 31: Het Theaterfestival, Brussels (BE)
Aug 20: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
Aug 19: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
Aug 18: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
Aug 17: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
→ 2016
Nov 4: (22:00) Bâtard Festival, Brussels (BE)
Nov 4: (19:00) Bâtard Festival, Brussels (BE) *premiere
Mining Stories
Mining Stories is a documentary theatre performance based on the research Silke Huysmans and Hannes Dereere did on a recent mining disaster in Brazil.
On the 5th of November 2015 a dam containing toxic mining waste collapsed in the mountains of the mining region Minas Gerais, Brazil where Silke grew up as a child. A devastating flood of mud destroyed several villages before flowing into the six hundred kilometers long river Rio Doce. Silke returned to Brazil with 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 economist Paul De Grauwe and mining expert Lindsay Newland Bowker, amongst others. Each of them tells 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, politics, religion, and storytelling.
Mining Stories was awarded the main prize at Zürcher Theaterspektakel in 2018, with the jury arguing 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
‘Interessante denkoefening rond mijnramp’
De Theaterkrant (Belgium, 11.11.2016)
REVIEW
‘Noorderzon review – Noorderzon biedt sensationele acrobatiek en liefdesduetten op de brommer’
NRC Handelsblad (The Netherlands, 20.08.2017)
REVIEW
‘Das kann nur der Anfang sein, nicht abder das Ende’
Der Bund (Switzerland, 25.05.2018)
REVIEW
‘Ohne Rolf, Mit Ernst’
Berner Oberländer (Switzerland, 25.05.2018)
REVIEW
‘Exzellente Dokuperformance’
Der Standard (Austria, 07.08.2018)
REVIEW
‘Wo Sprache sich nicht mehr auskennt’
Perlentaucher Kulturmagazin (Austria, 08.08.2018)
REVIEW
‘Impulstanz-Bilanz: Verlässlich, aber mit künstlerischen Krisen’
Der Standard (Austria, 10.08.2018)
REVIEW
‘ImpulsTanz: Die Highlights Der Vierten Festivalwoche’
Österreich Journal (Austria, 10.08.2018)
REVIEW
‘Mutig, schön und unglaublich stark!’
Der Republik (Switzerland, 28.08.2018)
JURY REVIEW
‘Zürcher Theaterspektakel, ZKB Förderpreis 2018’
Zürcher Theaterspektakel (Switzerland, 01.09.2018)
REVIEW
‘Rudarske Zgodbe: Poskus Dehierarhizacije’
Kriterij (Slovenia, 14.09.2018)
REVIEW
‘One of the most engaging sixty minutes you’ll spend at this year’s Dublin Theatre Festival’
The Reviews Hub (Dublin, 29.09.2018)
REVIEW
‘Innovative, resonant take on a dam burst disaster’
The Irish Times (Dublin, 01.10.2018)
INTERVIEW
‘Rampgebied en hoe het weer op te bouwen’
De Standaard (02.11.2016)
INTERVIEW
‘Luisteren naar een collage van stemmen’
Robbert van Heuven, Noorderzon (17.08.2017)
RADIO INTERVIEW
‘Noorderzon ondergronds’
NOS Radio 1 (18.08.2017)
RADIO INTERVIEW
‘Belmondo’
Klara (26.08.2017)
INTERVIEW
‘Ons werk heeft altijd een documentair karakter’
Exit Magazine (Belgium, 01.10.2017)
ESSAY
‘The essay in times of crisis’
Performance Philosophy (United Kingdom, 03.09.2018)
ESSAY
‘Thinking out loud. Essayistic figures on stage.’
Etcetera (Belgium, 28.11.2018)
ESSAY
‘Exploring the Essay in the New Documentary Turn. Mining Stories by Hannes Dereere & Silke Huysmans and Syden by Hedvig Biong, Pablo Castilla & Niko Hafkenscheid’
Documenta (Belgium, 06.08.2018)
UPCOMING DATES:
June 23: BE Festival, Birmingham (UK) *cancelled
PAST DATES:
→ 2019
May 5: CC Sint-Niklaas, Sint-Niklaas (BE) *cancelled
Dec 13: l'Ambazada, Notre-Dame-des-Landes (FR)
Oct 17: Festival Verão Azul, Loulé (PT)
Oct 10: 4+4 Days in Motion, Prague (CZ)
Sep 27: Trafó, Budapest (HU)
Sep 21: Conde duque, Madrid (ES)
Sep 20: Conde duque, Madrid (ES)
Jun 4: 2 Degrees Festival, London (UK)
Apr 24: C-Mine cultuurcentrum, Genk (BE)
Mar 23: La Villette, Paris (FR)
Mar 22: La Villette, Paris (FR)
→ 2018
Nov 17: Fast Forward, Dresden (DE)
Nov 16: Fast Forward, Dresden (DE)
Nov 11: CC Berchem, Antwerp (BE)
Nov 10: Arca NTGent, Ghent (BE)
Sep 30: Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 29: (19:45) Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 29: (15:45) Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 28: Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 21: CC Brasschaat, Antwerp (BE)
Aug 30: Mladi Levi, Ljubljana (SI)
Aug 28: Zürcher Theaterspektakel, Zurich (CH)
Aug 27: Zürcher Theaterspektakel, Zurich (CH)
Aug 26: Zürcher Theaterspektakel, Zurich (CH)
Aug 12: Theater op de Markt, Hasselt (BE)
Aug 11: Theater op de Markt, Hasselt (BE)
Aug 8: ImpulsTanz Festival, Vienna (AT)
Aug 6: ImpulsTanz Festival, Vienna (AT)
May 24: Auawirleben, Bern (CH)
May 23: Auawirleben, Bern (CH)
Apr 21: MOOOV Festival, Dilbeek (BE)
Mar 24: Festival Cement, Den Bosch (NL)
Mar 23: Festival Cement, Den Bosch (NL)
Mar 22: Festival Cement, Den Bosch (NL)
Feb 23: Théâtre de l'Usine, Geneva (CH)
Feb 22: Théâtre de l'Usine, Geneva (CH)
Feb 21: Théâtre de l'Usine, Geneva (CH)
Feb 16: Artefact Festival, Stuk, Leuven (BE)
Feb 15: Artefact Festival, Stuk, Leuven (BE)
Feb 10: Beursschouwburg, Brussels (BE)
Feb 9: Beursschouwburg, Brussels (BE)
Jan 27: Parallèle Festival, Marseille (FR)
Jan 25: CC ’t Schaliken, Herentals (BE)
→ 2017
Dec 15: Campo, Ghent (BE)
Dec 14: Campo, Ghent (BE)
Nov 11: Spielart, Munich (DE)
Nov 10: Next Festival, Harelbeke (BE)
Nov 8: Schwankhalle, Bremen (DE)
Nov 7: Schwankhalle, Bremen (DE)
Oct 28: Veem House for Performance, Amsterdam (NL)
Oct 27: Veem House for Performance, Amsterdam (NL)
Oct 26: Kunstencentrum Nona, Mechelen (BE)
Oct 20: Kaap, De Werf, Bruges (BE)
Oct 5: Explore Festival, Bucharest (RO)
Aug 31: Het Theaterfestival, Brussels (BE)
Aug 20: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
Aug 19: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
Aug 18: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
Aug 17: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
→ 2016
Nov 4: (22:00) Bâtard Festival, Brussels (BE)
Nov 4: (19:00) Bâtard Festival, Brussels (BE) *premiere