Avante-Garde Exodus From Female Perspective for Adelaide Festival
Adelaide’s 2016 Festival of Arts includes amongst its events some superb and diverse theatre. In her first Festival preview, Lesley Reed reports on Go Down, Moses, an exclusive Australian Premiere from one of the world’s leading avant-garde theatre companies, Societas Raffaello Sanzio.
Italian director Romeo Castellucci shook audiences at the 2000 Adelaide Festival of Arts with a controversial and abstract Shakespeare production, Giulio Cesare. Sixteen years later, he’s about to stun the Adelaide Festival again, with his compelling and provocative Go Down, Moses.
Inspired by events from the Book of Exodus, Go Down, Moses depicts the Jewish Exodus within a new context. Director Romeo Castellucci reflects on the timeless storyfrom a female perspective, highlighting the innate, lifelong bond between mother and child.
The title of the work is also a reference to the famous spiritual sung by the slaves of America who identified with the Israelites, and who dreamt of their own liberation.
Societas Raffaelo Sanzio’s compelling production of Go Down, Moses is not dialogue-driven. Rather, it uses much symbolism and fragmented imagery, moving backwards and forwards in time and taking unexpected detours. The result is a sometimes shocking reflection on life and death.
The cast includes Rascia Darwish, Gloria Dorliguzzo, Luca Nava, Stefano Questorio and Sergio Scarlatella. The production features music from electro-acoustic composer Scott Gibbons (USA), who will also lend his composition talents to opening weekend audio-visual stadium spectacular A Fleur de Peau.
Go Down, Moses is co-produced by Adelaide Festival of Arts with Théatre de la Ville with Festival d’Automne á Paris, Théatre de Vidy-Lausanne, deSingel International Arts Campus / Antwerp, Teatro di Roma, La Comédie de Reims, Maillon, Théatre de Strasbourg / Scéne Europeenne, La Filature, Scéne Nationale de Mulhouse, Festival d’Automne en Normandie, Festival Printemps des Comédiens, Athens Festival 2015, Peak Performance 2016 and Montclair State-USA.
Romeo Castellucci founded Societas Raffaello Sanzio in 1981 with Chiara Guidi and Claudia Castellucci. Sometimes referred to as a provocateur, Romeo Castellucci is known for his hallucinatory imagery and the jarring effect of his sometimes disturbing visuals. He has produced over fifty works.
Typical of his multi-faceted approach to all of his productions, Romeo Castellucci has the multiple responsibilities of director and stage, costume and lighting designer for Go Down, Moses. He also co-wrote the text with Claudia Castellucci.Music is by Scott Gibbons
Adelaide Festival of Arts Artistic Director David Sefton said, “I believe Societas Rafaello Sanzio is one of the most important theatre companies in the world today. Their work is always stunning, challenging and thought-provoking. I am thrilled I can work with them once again and urge anyone with an interest in contemporary performance not to miss this rare opportunity to see them in Australia.”
Sefton is not alone; there’s worldwide applause for this director and theatre company:
‘Castellucci cherishes Artaud-derived ideas of disrupting the audience’s expectations of theatre in order to allow the deeper truth through unexpectedly.’ – Financial Times UK
‘Romeo Castellucci and his Societas Rafaello Sanzio collaborators have produced some of the most seductive and enigmatic performance masterworks of recent times, epic conceptions and disturbing realisations on a scale not experienced since the first showings of the Robert Wilson "operas" with which they share a totally immersive sense of dream, if in radically different ways.’ – Real Time Arts
The power and passion of Go Down, Moses cannot be adequately described in words. Adelaide Festival audiences lucky enough to attend the work’s exclusive Australian premiere will experience a memorable and immensely creative event.
Warning: contains sexual themes, adult themes and nudity. Recommended for ages 18+. Spoken in Italian with English surtitles.
When: Thursday 25 Feb – Saturday 27 Feb, 8pm. Sunday 28 Feb 6pm.
1 hour 30 min, no interval.
Where: Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre
Tickets:$30-$79.
Bookings: adelaidefestival.com.au or BASS 131 246.
Photographer: Guido Mencari
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