REDCAT Presents WHAT IF THEY WENT TO MOSCOW? Based On Chekov's Three Sisters

REDCAT, CalArts' downtown center for contemporary arts, presents the return of Brazilian theater artist Christiane Jatahy's new piece What if they went to Moscow? Thursday, February 21 to Sunday, February 24, 2019.

Brazilian director Christiane Jatahy brilliantly merges live performance and filmmaking in what she describes as a "mirror game between theater and cinema." Her wildly acclaimed take on Anton Chekov's Three Sisters imagines the siblings hosting a house party in modern day Brazil--and the piece is seen by two audiences simultaneously, with each group experiencing it twice (in two very different ways.)

One audience is in the theater, which is transformed into a sound-stage occupied by the performers and three hand-held camera operators (one for each sister). At the same time, the other audience watches a beautifully edited live feed in an adjacent screening space, where they witness the director's perspective. After a break, the two audiences trade places, and realize that each version is a very different experience, as the camera captures different moments, perspectives and facial expressions, giving the work a distinctly different tone and meaning.

Critics around the world have called it a "masterpiece" and "a new dramaturgical language."

This is the second piece in a trilogy --Jatahy won rave reviews when REDCAT hosted the first, her version of Miss Julie (Julia), and her unique response to Macbeth (The Walking Forest).

Performed in Portuguese with English supertitles.

Brazilian artist Christiane Jatahy's boundary-defying artistic practice juxtaposes theater, cinema, and performance. Born in Rio de Janeiro, she is simultaneously an author, stage director, and filmmaker. She studied theater and journalism and holds a Master's degree in Art and Philosophy. Since 2003, her work has dealt with different artistic genres. In theater, she has created numerous pieces exploring the borders between reality and fiction, author and characters, theater and cinema, namely: Studio, The Lack That Moves Us or All Stories Are Fiction, and Cut. She has directed a feature-length version of The Lack That Moves Us or All Stories Are Fiction, which was filmed continuously during 13 hours with three hand-held cameras. This version, still presented in national and international film festivals, ran in Brazilian theaters for over 12 weeks. The film's original material was also projected on three screens during a 13-hour-long cinema performance at the Parque Lage Art Gallery in Rio. In London, she set up the project In the Comfort of Your Home, a video documentary presented in English mansions, alongside performances by 30 Brazilian artists. Her show Julia, now on tour, is an adaptation of Strindberg's Miss Julie, where theater and cinema intertwine. That piece/film was presented in prestigious European theater festivals and was staged at the CentQuatre in 2012. It brought her the Shell prize for best stage direction. In 2013, she developed the audiovisual installation and documentary project Utopia.doc, shown in Paris, Frankfurt and São Paulo. In 2014, the SESC supported the creation of What If They Went to Moscow? which drew inspiration from Chekhov's Three Sisters. It was a play and film presented in two different venues. The work was rewarded with the Shell, Questão de Crítica, and APTR prizes. What If They Went to Moscow? is still being shown in festivals throughout Europe and the United States, and was programmed at the Théâtre National de la Colline in Paris. In 2016, to conclude the trilogy initiated with Julia, Christiane Jatahy created The Walking Forest, a performance loosely based on Macbeth, mixing documentary, performance and live cinema. In 2017, following an invitation by the Comédie-Française, she has created at Salle Richelieu The Rules of the Game, after Jean Renoir's film. Currently, Christiane Jatahy is an associate artist at the CentQuatre and at the Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles. She also collaborates with Odéon - Théâtre de l'Europe after Stéphane Braunschweig's nomination in January 2016.

Go online here: https://www.redcat.org/event/christiane-jatahy-what-if-they-went-moscow

REDCAT, CalArts' downtown center for contemporary arts, is a multidisciplinary center for innovative visual, performing and media arts founded by CalArts in the Walt Disney concert Hall complex in downtown Los Angeles. Through performances, exhibitions, screenings and literary events, REDCAT introduces diverse audiences, students and artists to the most influential developments in the arts from around the world, and gives artists in this region the creative support they need to achieve national and international stature. REDCAT continues the tradition of the California Institute of the Arts, its parent organization, by encouraging experimentation, discovery and lively civic discourse.

For current program and exhibition information call 213-237-2800 or visit www.redcat.org.

Location/Parking: REDCAT is located in downtown Los Angeles inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex with a separate entrance at the corner of West 2nd and Hope Streets. Parking is available in the Walt Disney Concert Hall parking structure. $9 event rate or $5 for vehicles entering after 8:00 pm on weekdays. Street Address: 631 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles CA 90012.

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