LIFE ON LOAN is a close-up of the last time. A zoom in on the wrinkle that tells about laughing and crying. A tribute to silence, slowness, the inner life. Socially oriented reality theater that through personal stories as a starting point for a strong visual and musical staging, seeks to create new perspectives on old age.
Project leader & director: Brigitte Christensen, Dramaturg: Stine Ebbesen, Musical consultant: Nikola Diklic, Assistant: Line Linde Munter, Production: Teatret Svalegangen & Eutopia, Photo: Anders Teibel, The project is supported by: Aarhus Kommune – Kultur & Sundhed, Ældre Sagen Aarhus & FO Aarhus

THE SOUND OF US is a journey through wondrous existential landscapes: Who am I? What should I do? And where am I headed? A group of young people take the stage. Powerful and fragile. They look directly at the audience, challenging, pleading, demanding: “Listen to us.” The vitality and untamed energy surge like a storm.
Director and concept: Brigitte Christensen, Scenography and costume design: Catia Hauberg, Music by: Nikola Diklic, Shakespeare consultant: Nila Parly, Light design: Henrik Bank, Director assistant: Stine Ebbesen, Producent: HamletScenen

Poetry and real stories go hand in hand, as ordinary people of Somali origin, for the first time on stage, share their memoirs. About the war, the fleeing, the fear, the loss. About sensations and smells. About the travel they had to make. About the blue ocean. About the dreams they carry with them. About snowflakes and cherry flowers.
Director, idea, concept: Brigitte Christensen. Scenography: Catia Hauberg. Voices and soundscapes: Nikola Diklic. Light design: Pappagallo. Director assistant: Stine Nielsen, Sofie Jørgensen. Photo: Per Pedersen, Rasmus Bruun Jørgensen. Organisation: Najma A. Mohamoud, Søren Højgaard , Mathilde Späth. Produced by: Eutopia 2017 & Gobaad Kulturforening

The debates of Sunday was all about art, soul and spirit. An intimate conversation with Yoshi Oida gave food for thought, which really characterized this last day. On the festival site the audience was invited on an entertaining picnic full of tricks and magic by Andrea Farnetani. In the evening the festival was closed in the most beautiful way by Compagnia Finzi Pasca, who amazed the audience with their incredible visual expression, talent and skills. A story who forces into the depth of human. The performance ended with standing ovation. The festival was over and Gellerup became Gellerup again – maybe a little changed. Photo: Laura Salvinelli.

Saturday afternoon contained rewarding conversations and debates in the debate tent and unbelievable nerve wrecking contemporary circus at the festival site by Circo El Grito. In the evening EUTOPIA Stage had the honour to host the Japanese actor and theatre legend, Yoshi Oida, and his likewise legendary performance ”Interrogations: Words of the Zen Masters”. Big, puzzling questions about life and ways of living served with a lightness, humor, and beautiful tones filled the theatre and the audience. Later, hundreds of festival guests carried torches through the streets of Gellerup as the beginning of a concert night for hope. First, the Japanese taiko drummer, Ichitaro, filled the festival site with his powerful rhythms, where after the Danish/Turkish band AySay with Luna Ersahin took over with their beautiful melodies. At last Tim Christensen gave a solo concert and united the whole audience in community singing with his famous songs. The night ended in Gellerup Church where the legendary Kiev Camber Choir gave an unforgettable concert. Photo: Laura Salvinelli.

Friday the festival’s debate tent opened. It was initiated with conversations about multiculture and the meaning of the art. It was also Friday that there was premiere on the Home Theatre play “Hamlet Short” in one of Gellerup’s homes. An intimate performance about the big questions in life and thereafter time for conversation, communal eating and presence. A clown performance by La Industrial Teatrera for old and young at the festival site, and powerful dance on a Persian carpet by Maqamat Dance Theatre and MaHa in the evening. In the Evening Tent a collage of smile, music and poetry staged by Brigitte Christensen and Nikola Diklic with several excellent artists – both national and international. Theatre of Voices ended the day in the late night with a meditation concert in Gellerup Church. Photo: Laura Salvinelli.

A tribute to Mother Earth with three metres tall dolls, music and dance by Sun and Moon Ensemble started the second festival day. A magical performance by Company Markeline with distressing, shabby creatures that guided the audience around on the festival site, where piles of shoes told big stories about life, love and war. A firework of music, rhythms, unbelievable acrobatic, balancing act and joggling by the unrivalled poetic Circo El Grito. And a happy and laughing end on the day in the Evening Tent, where the local Circus Tværs with friends welcomed the audience to a very entertaining night. Photo: Laura Salvinelli.

A folk festival began and the sun peeped through the clouds after a long, rainy summer. Communal eating and time together at the Agora. A meeting between the two Capitals of Culture 2017 with beautiful tones from Pafos and energetic dance from Gellerup’s own Jafra-Dancers. Later in the evening the locals welcomed the festival guests with ethnic dance, fascinating acrobatic and touching stories from some of the citizens in Gellerup. Photo: Laura Salvinelli.

21 women for the first time on stage. For the first time together. Eleven nationalities. All ages and backgrounds. All amateurs. Without any previous experience they are swirled into the magic, creative and demanding process of the creation of a theatre play.
Director, idea, concept: Brigitte Christensen. Scenographer: Catia Hauberg. Composer: Nikola Diklic. Light design: Frederik Eberhardt. Director assistant: Cille Melgaard. Organization: Pia Katballe. Production assistant: Helle Hansen. Photo: Laura Salvinelli.

With the title SO FARAWAY, SO NEAR, EUTOPIA presents two dance performance about the “escaped body” and the histories behind. The first, award winnig performance DISPLACEMENT is made by the Syrian dancer and choreographer Mithkal Alzghair. The performance is based on the themes war, migration and revolution.
Dancers: Farah, Shamil Taskin, Mithkal Alzghair. Dramaturgical advice: Thibaut Kaiser

With the title SO FARAWAY, SO NEAR, EUTOPIA presents two dance performance about the “escaped body” and the histories behind. The second performance, BREEZES OF RETURN, was the result of a cooperation between the local folk dancers in Gellerup, The Jafra Dancers and EUTOPIA 2017. Director: Nisreen Faour. Photo: Per Ryolf.

PASSION was the third and last part of the trilogy FAITH, HOPE AND PASSION at EUTOPIA Stage. The evening began with the dance performance 100 LIKES by Black Box Dance Company, and afterwards the filmmaker Jakob Gottschau had a conversation with the audience about the social media and their power. Photo: Per Ryolf.

In november 2016 the journalist, author and TV host, Abdel Aziz Mahmoud visited EUTOPIA. On the evening Abdel talked about integration, how to become a “real” Dane, behavior on the social medias and his own family.

HOPE is the second part of the trilogy FAITH, HOPE AND PASSION at EUTOPIA Stage. The evening began with the play WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE? by C:NTACT, and afterwards there was a conversation between Christian Have and Carsten Jensen about the themes of the play. Photo: Per Ryolf.

Faith is the first of three events in the trilogy FAITH, HOPE AND PASSION on EUTOPIA Stage. The evening began with the play CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM by Hans Rønne, which was followed by a conversation about faith. Photo: Per Ryolf.

In the spring of 2016, EUTOPIA took over the closed down theatre in Gellerup, giving new life to a place. EUTOPIA STAGE was born. The opening performance COLLAGE with amazing artists from the local area and from outside, marked the beginning of the EUTOPIA journey.

The images and logos are freely available to credit the project EUTOPIA by contacting eutopia2017@gmail.com