Dries Verhoeven: Brothers raise yourself to freedom

June 19&20, 2021
Theater Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Brothers, raise yourself to freedom

Humans as stowaways in a big distribution center

Where is our body serving for these days? By techgiant algorithms are searching 24/7 for the biggest margin of profit. Jobs are taken over by robots and forms of artificial intelligence. Do we have use? Will the working class be revived? Or is it better to lay down ourselves with the inevitable automation?

Brother raise yourself to freedom shows the human as a stowaway in a big distribution center. This work is being made with a group of Bulgarian performers who have experience as a labor migrant. The stage serves as a workfloor, where daily for 8 hours long a ‘living installation’ is being seen. Spectators buy, just like in a museum, a ticket for a timeslot. The living quarters of the performers is an art institution in Den Hague. During the whole tour an exposition is to be seen around the work, with the movie ‘The Recruitment’ over the creation of the work in Sofia and a series of video portraits of the performers.

Concept: Dries Verhoeven
production: Studio Dries Verhoeven
cast: Irina Angelova, Rilka Charovna, Boryana Dzhivdzhanova, Petyo Gyudyulev, Blagovest Ilchevski, Kalin Kupenov, Miroslav Mihov, Valentina Panova, Valentin Stankov, Antonia Tochka
dramaturgy: Hella Godee & Miguel Melgares
First inspicient: Niels Runderkamp
AGV robotica: Tom Dalhuisen
programmer robot arms: Casper Wortmann
programmer system besturing: Sylvain Vriens
sound design: Peer Thiele
technology: Marko Meijer, Niklas van Woerden
sound recording: Rutger Verberkmoes
stagiair technology: Titus Duitshof
casting & production: Sofia, Bulgarije Christian Bakalov
set construction: Maarten Smids, Niklas van Woerden, Merijn Versnel
video: Wouter van Elderen

photo: Willem-Popelier