Danya Hammoud about “Nature Theater of Oklahoma”
Where do they meet?
I am not sure but I think they meet in one of their apartments and they are working there. Maybe they also rent a space to meet.
Who is the leader, and does everyone share his/her vision?
There are two leaders. I think they are a couple. It is Kelly Copper and Pavol Liska. If they share one vision? I imagine that they do share a vision and I think it is the special vision of the two of them. I think the whole group is working on the base of this vision. I do not mean that the others follow but I think they like to get inside the vision of Kelly and Pavol. It might be a way for them to be part of something else – outside of themselves. Their work is pretty much about distance. And distanciation. I do not know if this word also exists in English. Meaning not to be close to what you are on stage. Distanciation, like Brecht said it.
I think they also have a political vision and this political vision is entirely in their artistic staging. It is not about putting political ideas or visions into their stagework but their work is in itself political I guess. They take very profane things, banal things, ordinary things and they put them in other words and in another way on stage. To put them on stage is already a political act. I do not know if they are famous but even if they are their way of promoting themselves through their website is pretty much that of underground people promoting themselves. They seem very modest and without any pretentios discourse about their work – for me that is very interesting nowadays.
It seems as if they are trying to stay kind of independent. I think they put a lot of energy into this independency. They do not get an institutionalized company. And this costs money, too, I think. Allowing yourself to be independent is a luxury nowadays.
Where does their money come from?
I guess when they started it was really from their own pocket. I think it stayed like this quite long until they got paid and until they started to be internationally known. The fact that they got paid for their presentations allowed them to keep on working. It seems like an autofunding. Or even if they have I think it does not allow them to continue. I think they have to count on their own productions.
Do they do what they say that they do?
I think they do it but I think they would like to be closer to doing what they say they are doing. But they already started to do what they want to do. Take a look at their website: their presentation. “About: We are the theater which has a place for everyone. Everyone in his place. If you decide to join us we congratulate you here and now.” And this for me is an example of what they want to do. I mean this independent financial way of living completely corresponds with their artistic and aesthetic vision. To have something that they want to share and to be accessible to everyone. Maybe it seems pretentious but I feel from them that it is really a will and it seems that they are on their track.
But I do not really know them. This is my priviledge. I do not really know them. I just know two of their works. If I knew them personally or if I worked with them my vision might be completly different. This is from the perspective of a spectator of their work.
And then we can still ask ourselves if it is important to know them personally.
How do they differ from a group therapy?
I think in any kind of group work there is a therapeutical effect. I know this word therapy is very controversial. I take it very simple. In every group of individuals who decide to work together there is a form of therapy. But their objective is not therapy – there is a difference there. I think they differ from a group therapy by their objectives. Therapy for me is a process. And their process is not therapeutical. It can be in certain ways but it is not their objective.
In my opinion there is also a big difference between a group and a community. From what I know and from what I can feel, they do not live in a community .They do not have to share the same kind of living.
I think having the will of being a part of the community you have to have a lot in common between you and the others. And this is what makes you disappear. While in a group individuals do not disappear.
If you could ask the “Nature Theater of Oklahoma” a question, what would you ask them now?
I would ask: If they worked on “Hamlet”, how would they start working on it?
Why did you talk about “Nature Theater of Oklahoma” as a young artist-driven initiative? Are they really that young?
Well, I thought in the beginning that they do not count as a young artist-driven initiative. I am thinking about how we use the term “young”. Is it “young” because the people are young or is it “young” because the initiative is young?
The name of the emerging artists’ initiative you were talking about and the one you are part of:
Talking about: “Nature Theatre of Oklahoma”.
I’m part of: Zoukak Theatre Company.
