Background: a Performance Lecture

Andrew Todd was invited -along with Robert Wilson, Daniel Libeskind, William Forsyth and Richard Beacham- to engage with the Appia/de Salzmann settings at the Hellerau Festspielhaus. Curator Hector Solari had organised the recreation of these seminal stage settings for his Rekonstruktion der Zukunft Festival.

Todd spoke as a prelude to Constanza Macras' dance performance 'The Truth About Monte Verita,' and incorporated exercises by her dancers -as well as a sonic special effect- into his talk.

The talk covered the complex genealogy of hellerau - extending by various strands into the present- and clear descendants such as Ariane Mnouchkine and Peter Brook. It covered Studio Andrew Todd's work in depth, and concluded with a reflection on the natural world as scenery, referencing Hellerau's sylvan setting near the landscapes which inspired Caspar David Friedrich.