The Extraordinary Wig
A project by Antonia Baehr and Lucile Desamory
Fringe white, syringe, brown, brown, black, white, grey, elastic rope, hand twine, twine mixed, twine old, beige, brown, grey, twine, twine grey, twine beige, twine red, blue, roll A55, rail, rings, screw eyelets, eyelets, eyelet work, rings, carabiner, tulle, rose petals, anemone (colorful), tiger lily leaves, rose leaves, dandelion leaves, grass, foxglove, fiddle, leaf shapes, flowers, narrow leaves, very thin floral wire green red, wire, flower stems, furniture ornament, leaves red poppy with leaves, flower calyxes, full, gerbera, full, flower calyxes pointed, big gerbera, spring flowers, half, leaves, petals, bouquets, rose petals (coarse), rose leaves, empty, leaves, various kinds of flowers, wire leaves, de-fix foils (different colours), branches, leaves, long narrow leaves, petals, rose petals yellow, skull, pear, potato, potato, corn, face masks, ladies rococo, very old wigs, dreadlocks, hands/feet, intestines, bowels, hearts, teeth, eyes, penis, ears, roots, snow queen, long dark baal, smooth baal, smooth baal noses, warm foam parts, bald heads with hair, dolls, larvae, horns, lips, leather masks, horns, animal noses, tulle leftovers
Five small stages, four live improvised songs, twenty-three whatsapp messages, some dreams of the theatre, nine mushrooms, a treasure of petals and at least two magic tricks. Lucile Desamory and Antonia Baehr are interested in hidden classification systems. In their collaboration, they roam through stage elements they found at the scrapyard of the Leipzig Opera House and follow the fascination of worn objects, including some from their own past. They have painted, masks and portraits, they have had conversations, they will wear some wigs and in between they will lose their subject.
photo: Anja Weber
Concept, artistic direction & performance: Antonia Baehr, Lucile Desamory
Dramaturgical collaboration: Sabine Ercklentz, Constanze Schellow, Isabell Spengler, Mayte Zimmermann
Sound design: Carola Caggiano
Light design: Gretchen Blegen
Lighting control: Gretchen Blegen, Anahi Perez
Video: Antonia Baehr, Lucile Desamory
Magic tricks: Mischa Desamory
Stage design: Antonia Baehr, Lucile Desamory
Stage, costume and production assistance: Lise Kruse
Production of the costumes in the costume workshops of the Leipzig Opera/ costume director: Silke Wey
Production of the decorations in the theatre workshops of the Leipzig Opera / Workshop director: Bernd Niesar, design department / production management: Matthias Gollner
Internship: Maj Lilith Hemmesmann, Fenja Offhaus
Administration: Alexandra Wellensiek / make up productions
Thanks to: Guy Desamory, Martin Baehr, Ulrich Baehr, the technicians* and employees* of the theatre and costume workshops of the Leipzig Opera and the mask workshop of the Schauspiel Leipzig especially the interview partners Doris Haenert, Sandra Jähnert, Manja Kölpin, Julia Markow and Gabriele Obst as well as the Kunstverein Leipzig
A production by make up productions in co-production with Residenz Schauspiel Leipzig, HAU Hebbel am Ufer Berlin, Theater Freiburg, Künstlerhaus Mousonturm Frankfurt, NEXT festival – Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai + Valenciennes / Kunstencentrum BUDA (Kortrijk, Belgium)
Supported by the NATIONALES PERFORMANCE NETZ (NPN) Coproduction Fund for Dance, which is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
Premiere: 1 February 2020, Residenz Schauspiel Leipzig