The Sunday, January 10th performance of MDLSX by the critically acclaimed Italian performance group, Motus, was followed by a post-show discussion featuring the creative team and the legendary Kate Bornstein as moderator. Panelists included author, playright, performance artist, and gender theorist Kate Bornstein; Motus foundres Enrico Casagrande & Daniela Nicolo, and performer Silvia Calderoni. This panel of artists and activists discussed a broad range of topics with a live audience spanning the political potential of theater, the process of engaging diverse audiences on taboo topics, and the journey of gender.
“The stage is a big, huge possibility to be free, to share with people. For us, it’s not a manifesto. It’s an invitation. It’s not an answer. It’s many questions.”
-Daniela
“What is it that will disarm the state? Oh. Oh, I want to lick your brains.”
-Kate Bornstein
“When you are dealing with a performance, with the audience.. We are not really selfish, we and the audience every time, with other performances, we try to involve the audience on the stage.. We invite people on the stage to create temporary relationships on the stage.”
-Enrico
“I’ve always decided not to decide. I’ve always responded to whatever the external environment was asking me. When you are a teenager, this was a provocative attitude and then this attitude brought into theater became something else. And I think this piece brings the desire of not defining. My experience is not more important than anyone else’s, so I don’t really have any answers. Just the answers we all have.”
-Sylvia Calderoni, solo performer of “MDLSX”
“ ‘We are the furious diaspora-‘ How do you live that?”
-Kate Bornstein
“The idea to move, to constantly be looking for… If you have the possibility to enjoy the moment that is changing every day, people traveling with you… The name for our company, Motus, is Latin for movement.“
-Daniela
“For me, the best metaphor for my gender journey has been journey, has been traveling. You put that so well onstage, you never stayed in one place for too long. All of a sudden when you were the mermaid- wait, what?!?! I just have to say: thank you, you put on stage the philosophy of my life.”
-Kate Bornstein
La MaMa in association with Watson Arts presents
MDLSX
by Motus
starring Silvia Calderoni
January 7 - 17, 2016
Tickets: $25 Adults; $20 Students/Seniors
Special Benefit Performance on Wednesday January 13 at 7pm; pre-show reception at 6pm. Benefit Ticket: $50
The Downstairs @ La MaMa
66 East 4th Street
(between Bowery and Second Avenue)
New York, NY 10003