{"id":1278,"date":"2014-09-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-09-29T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/%20rroma.org\/24-09-2014-essen-theatre-play-addresses-rroma-stereotypes\/"},"modified":"2022-07-26T14:00:56","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T13:00:56","slug":"24-09-2014-essen-theatre-play-addresses-rroma-stereotypes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rroma.org\/de\/24-09-2014-essen-theatre-play-addresses-rroma-stereotypes\/","title":{"rendered":"24.09.2014 Essen: theatre play addresses Rroma stereotypes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the latest play by \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVolker L\u00f6sch, who is known for his political and provocative productions, six \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRroma actors together with six Gadje (non-Rroma) address various stereotypes \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tabout Rroma. They do this through a very free interpretation of Homer’s \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cOdyssey\u201d: \u201cThe ancient Homer text about \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe adventurous wanderings of the warrior Odysseus back to his beloved home is \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbroken repeatedly with reports from the lives of the performers: they give a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tface to the everyday discrimination and tell of the futile escape from poverty. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPride speaks from their stories, and occasionally rage about the sometimes \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trigid structures of their community. Odysseus and his companions on other hand, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tare the \u201cgood citizens\u201d in L\u00f6sch\u2019s production. […] His odyssey leads this \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOdysseus to the other, into the strange world of the Roma. Fast-paced, the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\twinds drive along his ship from clich\u00e9 to clich\u00e9: The strangers show themselves \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto the king of Ithaca as a social benefit scammers, unsightly Cyclops or as \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trampant, belly dancing sirens of seduction. In the large family of the wind god \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAeolus, Odysseus encounters incest\u201d <\/em>(Dame 2014). The \u201cstrangers\u201d that Homer \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tand his fellowship encounters, are embodied by Rroma actors. They are described \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tin detail and characterised by Homer and his companions during the see voyages, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlong before they actually encounter them. Thereby, the process of how \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tprejudices are created is reflected itself. The stereotypes of the frame story \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tare juxtaposed with the real-life experiences of the Rroma actors, who are \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconfronted with these prejudices in everyday life.<\/p>\n