A playful look behind the curtains of a friendship filled with ups and downs, The Chance To Find Yourself is born from the sincere curiosity of two actors to understand each other better. Benno Steinegger and Jovial Mbenga come from two different cultural and economical backgrounds: Italy and Congo. Today, both of them are living and working in Bruxelles. The project started out as a theatrical adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, but it has soon become a show about the encounter of two people, their differences and similarities. The two artists confront themselves with their boundaries and all that they don’t know, unveiling the hidden discriminatory behaviour and the (un)conscious thoughts that influence their ordinary life.
How close can we really get to the other? What role does our perception play in all this? Steinegger and Mbenga deal with these questions with bold humour and abstract imagination.
Bio
Benno Steinegger (IT/BE) is director and actor for film and theatre. His work questions the stability of identities and systems of power. He’s developed performances, plays and movies in collaboration with theatres and festivals around Europe, Canada, China, Congo and the USA.
Jovial Mbenga (CD/BE) is director and actor for film and theatre. He’s worked with many directors such as Guy Cassiers, Nele Vereecken e Christiane Tahany, Christiane Jatahy. In 2013 he wrote and played the solo “Mon Noord”.
Credits
By and with: Jovial Mbenga & Benno Steinegger Co-director: Gaia Saitta Dramaturgy: Lara Staal External eye: Joëlle Sambi Nzeba Technical & lighting direction: Valeria Foti Research collaboration: Costanza Lanzara Production: workspacebrussels Co-production: workspacebrussels, KAAP, Garage29, CAMPO With the support of: wpZimmer, Code Ivan, KLm/Kinkaleri, WIPCOOP/Mestizo Arts Platform With the support of: the Flemish Community and the Flemish Community Commission