30 appearances out of darkness

[ENG]

A radical new performance about disappearing - and appearing

With 30 appearances out of darkness, Arno Schuitemaker creates an experience in which a new dimension opens from the darkness. Dark can be frightening and ominous, literally, but also metaphorically. At the same time, in darkness lies the possibility of hope.

Schuitemaker: “Maybe we can find enlightenment by disappearing in darkness, if only to be able to come out on the other side.”

Impressive images emerge from a pitch-black, sometimes on the threshold of perception. Mesmerizing, mysterious, and hypnotizing. Assumptions that we make are being challenged. A group of performers moves across the stage. Not everyone is visible at the same time, but their presence is tangible all the time. They appear and disappear, never in the same way - found, lost, and sought again.

This world, it seems, emits its own gravity and all get absorbed into a new, borderless dimension with an ever-shifting dynamic. This darkness, this pitch-black, becomes a place of infinite potential.

“Hopefulness is risky, since after all it is a form of trust,
trust in the unknown and possible.”
Hope in the Dark, Rebecca Solnit

BACKGROUND
Arno Schuitemaker creates performances one has to experience. His interdisciplinary work finds itself off the beaten track and sets just about everything in motion: performers, music, light, space. Fragments from his diary serve as a source and transform in his performances into embodied reflections on life. Also 30 appearances out of darkness was created in this way.

Arno Schuitemaker: “Maybe it is proof that I am getting older, but I feel that I am less and less resisting the vulnerability of life. When I was reading Derek Jarman’s book ‘Chroma’ some of his words resonated with me: “Is black hopeless? Doesn’t every dark thundercloud have a silver lining? In black lies the possibility of hope”. It led me to want to reflect on the significance of this paradox, and how it can shape and define us for the better. Why do we sometimes fear what we desire most? It is a question I can’t let go of. I want to fear less. Maybe we can find enlightenment by disappearing in darkness, if only to be able to come out on the other side.”

In the press
"In this all-absorbing game of disappearing and appearing, Schuitemaker gradually creates a space for a redeeming finale. It is an impressive feeling to realize that afterward your head is glowing." Annette Embrechts, de Volkskrant ★★★★

"Movement, light, and sound engage in a perfect dialogue." Heleen Westerik, Cultuurpers

"It is a hallucinatory experience." Kester Freriks, Theaterkrant