LESSONS IN MELANCHOMANIA // KATRINE WEIGELT

The experiment is a kind of theater lab where we will create a series of innovative solos, all created within the same time frame (approx. 7-10 min) and the same minimalist set design. They will all be played by different actors from different countries, so each actor brings their own
specific background and input to the trial.

Inspired by Charles Darwin’s works on the phenomenon of hysteria and the medical methods used in the 20th century Paris Salpetriere Hospital (an asylum for insane and incurable women), we want to approach the subject from a new angle and create seemingly realistic, but strange, imagined medical cases. Our goal is to investigate human behavior and expressions in specific situations and the symptoms of true or fabricated manias and hysterias.

Katrine Weigelt (Denmark) coordinates the project at the test station: Linnea Happonen from Finland, Jiri Zeman from the Czech Republic and Pau Zapaletta from Catalonia.