With the reprisal of A Masque for the Multiverse, laborgras and CONTINUUM once again celebrate an extraordinary encounter between the Baroque and the present day. The production underscores the importance of cultural diversity and the courage to rethink tradition.
Eight musicians, three singers, and four performers come together to craft a vibrant reimagining of the historical masque tradition. Baroque music by William Lawes—originally composed for the court of Charles I—meets contemporary works by Shara Nova, whose compositions build a striking bridge between pop culture and the sound world of the Baroque.
Despite the 400 years between the composers, their works reveal conceptual parallels in their exploration of transformation and identity. In her opera You Us We All, Shara Nova creates a seamless transition between the epochs, bringing the Baroque allegories of Hope, Love, and Death into dialogue with existential questions of our time.
Her texts challenge us to question familiar assumptions: “What is our life? What purpose does beauty serve these days?” Inspired by the idea of the masque – a revolutionary and historically extraordinary event at the English court of James I and Charles I – the tradition is translated into a contemporary format. The audience is invited to move freely through the performance space, to find their own perspective on the unfolding events, and to choose their own level of proximity to the performers – thereby becoming active participants in the experience. With sensuality and a touch of irony, laborgras and Continuum open a space for reflection and transformation – a bridge between historical traditions and the cultural currents of today. A unique experience for all who are drawn to the artistic symbiosis of the Baroque and the contemporary, and to the subtle dialogue between dance and music.
A Masque for the Multiverse is part of the retrospective with which laborgras is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Berlin this year.
The retrospective concludes in October with the production sinnestaumel (October 23–26, DOCK 11) – a finely tuned dialogue between Baroque music and contemporary dance. To the sounds of Johann Sebastian Bach’s sonatas for violin and harpsichord (BWV 1014–1019), performed live by Midori Seiler and Christian Rieger, a resonant space is created in which music, light, and movement coalesce into a dense, physical experience.
