TRACK: Welcome To Our Guesthouse #8

Productiehuis Theater Rotterdam
wo 27 nov - za 30 nov
Het kloppende hart van Productiehuis Theater Rotterdam

Welcome To Our Guesthouse (WTOG) - the artist-in-residence program of Theater Rotterdam - offers emerging makers the space and facilities to research, exchange and present their work to the public. This year the makers are Camilo Mejía (BE), Fariborz Karimi (NL) and Liza Sulaiman (NL).
During WTOG #8 | Crossing Realms: When distance unfolds.. Connection emerges, the makers explore the paradox of time and reality.

About this edition

Time plays a crucial role in how we tell our stories. It intertwines emotion, experience, distance, and closeness in our perception of the world. How does time influence your reality? How does it shape the narratives that connect us with each other? Sometimes reality feels far fetched, while we are deeply touched by the proximity of our dreams. In this paradox lies the key to connecting with each other and the world around us. What does it mean to dream and to live together in these different realities? Every detail in the future, every memory of the present, and every dream in the past tells a story. Poetry lies in the small things, in the nuances of our experiences. How do these moments shape our view of reality? What is an elusive dream for one person may be a cherished memory for another. Don’t we all have a moment in time when we look back with a sense of longing? Something that touches us, inspires us, and connects us in our quest for meaning.   

Join the three makers, Camilo Mejía (BE), Fariborz Karimi (NL) and Liza Sulaiman (NL) during Welcome to Our Guesthouse #8 | Crossing Realms: When distance unfolds.. Connection emerges on a remarkable journey through the diverse layers of time, nostalgia, and distance through their universe. Let us invite you to be inspired, to be encouraged to dream and to make you remember and connect.

During Welcome To Our Guesthouse #8 Camilo Mejía will work on his research project VAIVÉN in which he revisits, through his connection with dance and music, ideas about transformation, multiplicity, agency, and belonging. He navigates these ideas in order to expand and intersect the narratives that are in place for a black, queer, and migrant body.   

Fariborz Karimi presents his research project Whispered Dreams which began as a series of letters and texts exchanged between his close friend Mona (a writer and actress based in Tehran) and Fariborz. Starting from these texts, they are revisiting their connection, friendship, and artistic collaboration, considering gender and lived experiences—Fariborz' in Amsterdam and hers in Tehran. Due to the distance, their collaboration takes place remotely, which presents certain challenges in their creative process and performative setups. This distance is integral to the concept of the work, posing challenges, particularly in relation to audience interaction.  

Liza Sulaiman will work on her researchproject called The Red turns Dark Blue. The concept of The Red turns Dark Blue delves into the paradox of resilience, particularly in the context of war and conflict, where the necessity for resilience itself is a profound tragedy. It explores how the need to endure hardship can carry both a personal and collective cost, examining the interplay between survival and loss through movement, percussive and electronic music and digital media. 

We present the WTOG program as TRACK: a theatrical route through the building of TR8 William Boothlaan. Curious? Check out last year's aftermovie below!

Pay what you want

For Welcome To Our Guesthouse we use our Pay what you want principle. You can order a ticket for 15, 10 or 5 euros.

Context program Pace & Presence
In this program, we invite makers and professionals to consider the role of time in creative practice and discover ways to support individual growth and varied tempos. Networking can often feel awkward, so we’ve created playful, pressure-free spaces to foster genuine connection. Join us! 

Onderdeel van

 

Over deze editie

Tijd speelt een cruciale rol in hoe we onze verhalen vertellen. Het weeft emotie, ervaring, distantie en nabijheid samen in ons beeld van de wereld. Hoe beïnvloedt tijd jouw realiteit? Wat voor de één een ongrijpbare droom is, kan voor de ander een dierbare herinnering zijn. Hebben we niet allemaal een moment in de tijd waarin we terugkijken met een gevoel van verlangen? Iets dat ons raakt, ons inspireert en ons verbindt in onze zoektocht naar betekenis. Soms lijkt de realiteit ver weg, terwijl we van binnenuit worden geraakt door de nabijheid van onze dromen. In deze paradox ligt de sleutel tot verbinding met elkaar en de wereld om ons heen. Wat betekent het om te dromen en samen te leven in deze verschillende realiteiten? Elk detail in de toekomst, elke herinnering in het heden en elke droom in het verleden vertelt een verhaal. Poëzie schuilt in de kleine dingen, in de nuances van onze ervaringen. Hoe beïnvloeden deze momenten onze kijk op de werkelijkheid? 

Samen met de drie makers van Welcome To Our Guesthouse #8 | Crossing Realms: When distance unfolds.. Connection emerges, Camilo Mejía (BE), Fariborz Karimi (NL) en Liza Sulaiman (NL), maken we een bijzondere reis door de diverse lagen van tijd, nostalgie en afstand via hun werelden. Laat dit een uitnodiging zijn die jou inspireert, je aanzet tot dromen, je doet herinneren en ons verbindt. Zien we je dan? 

Welcome To Our Guesthouse wordt mede mogelijk gemaakt met financiële steun van Fonds 21.

Eindelijk krijgen de verhalen en vooral ook de vormen alle ruimte en dat is spannend, reuzespannend!

Theaterkrant over Welcome To Our Guesthouse