The Rebel Alliance presents MANIFESTO 2083

By: Jan. 31, 2017
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The Rebel Alliance is returning to Wellington with their award winning production Manifesto 2083 as part of the Wellington Fringe Festival. Written by Christian Lollike, one of Denmark's most high profile contemporary playwright, the play is a response to Norwegian right wing extremist Anders Breivik's murderous rampage on the island of Utøya in 2011 that left 69 young people dead.

On the day of his attack Breivik emailed a personal 1500 page manifesto to more than a thousand people. It contained everything from diary entries and plans for how to attack a German nuclear power plant to Breivik's reflections on an inevitable war between the West and Islam and the dangers of multiculturalism and political correctness.

Based on Breivik's writing Manifesto 2083 is a meticulously researched attempt to understand the un-understandable. Lollike's company announced only a month after Breivik's attack their intent to create a play based on the manifesto and sparked a massive media frenzy in the process. To date Manifesto 2083 still stands as the most controversial play in recent Danish theatre history.

Featuring an award winning solo performance by Edwin Wright (Turbo Kid, Top of the Lake) Manifesto 2083 can almost be described as half TED talk and half performance in the way it lays out the logic of right wing thinking and unnervingly demonstrates the ease with which one can be radicalized online. Wright was most recently seen in Wellington in last year's Everest Untold at Circa Theatre.

A profound and challenging piece of theatre - theatreview

Manifesto 2083 had its New Zealand premiere in 2015 at The Basement Theatre in Auckland and has since then toured to the Nelson Arts Festival and the Dunedin Fringe Festival, where the production got nominated for 'Best Theatre' and Wright took home the award for 'Outstanding Performance'.

Says Director and Producer, Anders Falstie-Jensen: "I am Danish so I find it very interested that when Manifesto 2083 was performed in Denmark it was very much about the man Breivik. But now, 6 years on, the play is in a way less about Breivik and more about our current political climate. Breivik saw himself as a Knights Templar fighting in an apocalyptic war against Islam. In a way he is a western version of an Isis fighter. In a world of Brexit, Trump, alternative facts, immigration crisis, terror attacks and increasing domestic tensions in countries across Europe this play seems more relevant than ever."

Christian Lollike who directed and co-wrote Manifesto 2083 is one of Denmark's most respected playwrights Never afraid to shy away from difficult topics Lollike's work again and again demonstrates how theatre can be used as a way of to understand events, social trends and changes in politics and society.

Manifest 2083 is an original Sort/Hvid production. It premiered October 15 2012 in Copenhagen. The text is developed in collaboration between Christian Lollike, Olaf Højgaard and Tanja Diers.

The Rebel Alliance presents

MANIFESTO 2083

By Christian Lollike, Olaf Højgaard & Tanja Diers

Circa Theatre

February 13 - 18, 7.30pm

Tickets: $15 - $30

04 801 7992

Circa.co.nz



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