THE PRACTICE OF DEMOCRACY / AN ATTEMPT TO DEVISE A DEMOCRATIC ASSEMBLY (2023)

In An Attempt to Devise a Democratic Assembly, the audience members/participants create their own citizens’ assembly following a text given to them at the beginning of the performance. The text assigns ‘roles’ (of speakers, listeners, moderators) to the members of the assembly, instructing them on what to do or say (or even refuse to do or say if they want to). Part of the text is left open, giving space to participants to express their own thoughts about democracy and our social coexistence. Through a game structure, the assembly is led step by step into a collective reflection on the practice of assembling and our personal and collective attitude towards it. Recognizing the central role of the body in politics, this participatory performance explores how the way we use and position our bodies in relation to other bodies can affect the way we think, speak, feel and act politically.