Interdisciplinarity, Intermediality, and Multilingualism in Theatre: An Example from the Luxembourg-France Border Region

1Interdisciplinarity has become the indispensable state of the art in science over the last few decades, while in the arts, intermediality has replaced the “old labels.” This volume documents and reflects on an experimental theatre project created within the framework of Esch2022, European Capital of Culture, at the University of Luxembourg. The aim is both to document this theatre work and to discuss its creation as well as its sociopolitical and social significance from both personal and academic perspectives, making it accessible to a broader public as an example of a cross-border theatre production. This theatre production emerged as part of a joint project involving collaborators from the fields of geography and theatre studies at the University of Luxembourg as well as three different artists (a theatre director, a photographer, and a sound artist). Under the title “Remix Place,” the project sought to transcend not only the boundaries between disciplines and art forms but also to bridge research and art. The project was inspired by the question of what relationships people in the Luxembourg-France border region have with the places where they live and/or work.

2For months, individual team members traversed the landscapes of the border region—also known as the Land of Red Earth or the Minett region—conducting over 65 interviews in the three predominant languages of the area (Luxembourgish, German, and French) with people who live and/or work there. This material, which spans several thousand pages, formed the basis for the trilingual documentary theatre piece entitled “So mir: à quels lieux tu appartiens ? Eine theatralische Spurensuche im Land der Roten Erde”, created by director Monika Dobrowlanska. The play premiered in August 2022 at the Maison des Arts et des Étudiants on the Belval campus and was sold-out on all three performances evenings.

3This multimedia publication includes the trilingual theatre script, supplemented by photographs of people and places in the border region taken by photographer David Schalliol, as well as a subtitled recording of the premiere. The artistic work—both the theatre text and the production—is further explored in two additional contributions. In a conversation with Natalie Bloch, director Monika Dobrowlanska discusses the challenge of selecting individual stories from the vast interview material for a ninety-minute stage performance and assembling them into a trilingual piece. These stories needed to be not only remarkable accounts of the region but also possess scenic potential. In this context, the director reflects on the themes, voices, and positions she selected, the reasons behind her choices, and what particularly interested her.

4These artistic reflections are framed by a theatre studies contribution in which Natalie Bloch examines how the theatre work—particularly in light of the “Remix Place” project approach—addresses and utilizes the participatory potential of space in its various dimensions. This publication thus serves not only as a document of a cross-border theatre production but also as an impetus for sociopolitical discourse and future interdisciplinary projects.

5Natalie Bloch
Monika Dobrowlanska

6So mir: à quels lieux tu appartiens ?  Eine theatralische Spurensuche im Land der Roten Erde

7by Monika Dobrowlanska
Director: Monika Dobrowlanska
Production Management and Conceptual Collaboration: Natalie Bloch

8The production was created as part of the REMIX PLACE project.

9REMIX PLACE - Remixing pathways to participation: connecting diverse communities through place (2021-2022)

10Research-art project results from a collaboration between the Department of Geography and the Master's in Theatre Studies and Interculturality at the University of Luxembourg.

11Project co-funded by Esch2022 European Capital of Culture and the University of Luxembourg with participation of Département de la Moselle, DRAC Grand Est and Région Grand Est

12Project coordination: Dr. Estelle Evrard with the support of Dr. Natalie Bloch

13With the contribution of: Dr. David Schalliol, sociologist and photographer; François Martig, sound artist; Dr. Monika Dobrowlanska, director and playwrigh; Dr. Lise Landrin, post-doctoral researcher in geography; Dr. Koku Gnatuloma Nonoa, post-doctoral researcher in theatre studies.