And so it begins…
The applause softens and stills at London’s dazzling Coliseum, all eyes trained on the bare torso of a young man, gazing up at the sky. The man is Davide Dato of the Vienna State Ballet – one of the most talented ballet dancers of his generation. The occasion is Ballet Russes – a celebration of the greatest icons of the Russian ballet. And he is here for us – for Theatrum Vitae. To launch our exciting project to the world.
He is joined on stage by Luidmila Konovalova, Prima ballerina at the Wiener Staatsballett, in the guise of Aphrodite. Her dress swishes and splays as they dance in perfect unison amongst the shadows. Their breath-taking dance takes us on a journey, from ancient times to modernity; their love affair a metaphor for self-discovery and the quest for truth.
And so it begins. The story of Theatrum Vitae, which will play out in 4 spectacular landmarks, in 4 countries over 4 years. A fusion of performing and visual arts which will take the world by storm.
The audience erupts. Cheers of ‘Bravo’ fill the auditorium. We spill onto the stage to join the dancers in their bows. It is a dream. And yet it is only the beginning. There is so much more to come…
“All the world’s a stage …”
Shakespeare’s familiar and well-loved lines from As You Like It express so beautifully the idea that life can be compared to a play, in which we are the actors. The speech goes on to consider the different stages of our lives (‘the seven ages of man’) from birth to death, and the roles we adopt for each one (“the whining schoolboy” … “the lover sighing like a furnace” … etc etc).
Theatrical metaphors were nothing new even in Shakespeare’s time, and there’s a good reason for that – the theatre and the creative arts generally are superb vehicles for exploring the human condition. For example, the Greek philosopher Sophocles, who was also a celebrated playwright, drew on ancient myths to consider profound issues in his writing – such as our capacity for good or evil; how to balance private gain with public duty; and how we, as flawed individuals, can ultimately find happiness.
It would not be overstating the case to say that the rich tradition of tragedy and comedy established in the classical world still lies at the heart of modern western theatre. It is fitting therefore that Theatrum Vitae – an entirely new form of theatrical performance that brings together words, music, dance, light, visual arts, the built environment and our natural surroundings – should look back to our cultural origins before blazing a trail into the future. What better place to begin then, than the stunning coastline of Petra Tou Romiou in Cyprus, birthplace of the Aphrodite, Goddess of Love?
We invite you to come with us back to the cradle of civilisation, and through spectacular performances in iconic settings, discover how ancient wisdom and values still have deep relevance for us today. From questions of morality to the pursuit of truth and beauty, and from the development of democracy to the influence of scientific discovery on human progress, let us bear witness to our own story on the stage of ‘the theatre of life’ …
Theatrum Vitae – exploring the meaning of life itself
What makes us tick? What sets humanity apart from other creatures? How can we make life more meaningful and more purposeful? Since becoming capable of rational thought, people have been trying to solve the great questions of existence. Our many and varied responses – religious and secular, scientific and creative, public and private – speak volumes about the enormity of the task. And some would argue that even in the 21st century, with thousands of years of experience to draw upon, we are no closer to finding the answers. But the questions are no less pressing. Indeed, for all the advances mankind has made through the rise and fall of countless civilisations, we are still searching for the key to our very being, with current political and social uncertainties only adding to the complexity.
Theatrum Vitae sets itself the ambitious and exhilarating mission of exploring the meaning of life in completely new ways – getting to the heart of the matter by harnessing creativity and uniting people in a unique and profound shared experience.
But before we can move forward, we have to understand what has gone before. The post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin knew this well, encapsulating the importance of remembering the lessons of the past in his visionary painting Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? This extraordinary work – which Gauguin considered to be his finest – can be read from right to left, starting with the beginning of life (represented by three women and a child), moving on to our daily lives in the centre of the painting, before the old woman on the far left contemplates death – and behind her an idol and a far-reaching, idealised landscape representing (in the artist’s words) ‘the beyond’.
Theatrum Vitae too will take us back to the very dawn of time, with the mythical birth of Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty, before re-discovering the wisdom of the ancient philosophers and their relevance for us today. Then we move on to the great artistic and scientific flowering of the Renaissance, which also looked back to the great civilisations of ancient Greece and Rome before breaking new ground. Finally, we focus on our present digital world, contextualised in our shared cultural heritage in ways that promote essential human values.
Join us on the most important journey that we will ever make – from the origins of mankind through the acquisition of wisdom, to the future of humanity.
