Theatre of Seclusion – Manifesto 

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What is “theatre of seclusion”? 

It is a live-streamed performance developed, designed and executed in seclusion in the many different homes of the artists, who join forces to create one unique audiovisual experience, a cinematic concert in synchronicity.

“Theatre of Seclusion” comes with a set of rules and restrictions:

1. We rehearse, develop and execute the whole piece in quarantine with the help of digital platforms.

2. We are allowed to make use only of the props, musical instruments, set environment, costumes and technical means that were made available to us when quarantined; no add-ons later on! Our home is the set. Public space and home space merge into one. The tagged names on our windows name us and reconfigure anonymity and objectification.

3. We work in seclusion from our homes like women before us. Are we trapped, safe or emancipated? It is up to our viewers to tell, as we grand them permission to invade our most intimate worlds. Zoom into details, zoom out to the galaxies.

4. We all use the same basic technology to weave this new-age audiovisual embroidering in synchronicity. 

5. We invite viewers to interact with the performance, and thus be propelled to the public agora.

We, women of different ages and artistic backgrounds, have joined voices to traverse historicity of gender, reconfiguring domesticity and digital space. In our domestic confinement, we explore the vastness of the public agoras; framed in digital boxes, we remain transparent for the whole world to peep on us, yet, safe in the refuge of our innermost private space (unlike other women – victims of domestic violence).

Transparent yet mysterious; Empowered yet objectified; Private yet public; Present yet absent; Connected yet isolated; Certain yet uncertain.

This is who we are: “the Absent Girls”, in memory of all the women before us.

Just like our mothers and “sisters”, we use seclusion in our favor to embroider the ancient traces of Antigone as part of our own lineage.

Just like women before us, we make art in seclusion. Only this time we go public!We, women of different ages and artistic backgrounds, have joined voices to traverse historicity of gender, reconfiguring domesticity and digital space. In our domestic confinement, we explore the vastness of the public agoras; framed in digital boxes, we remain transparent for the whole world to peep on us, yet, safe in the refuge of our innermost private space (unlike other women – victims of domestic violence).

Transparent yet mysterious; Empowered yet objectified; Private yet public; Present yet absent; Connected yet isolated; Certain yet uncertain.

This is who we are: “the Absent Girls”, in memory of all the women before us.

Just like our mothers and “sisters”, we use seclusion in our favor to embroider the ancient traces of Antigone as part of our own lineage.

Just like women before us, we make art in seclusion. Only this time we go public!We, women of different ages and artistic backgrounds, have joined voices to traverse historicity of gender, reconfiguring domesticity and digital space. In our domestic confinement, we explore the vastness of the public agoras; framed in digital boxes, we remain transparent for the whole world to peep on us, yet, safe in the refuge of our innermost private space (unlike other women – victims of domestic violence).
Transparent yet mysterious; Empowered yet objectified; Private yet public; Present yet absent; Connected yet isolated; Certain yet uncertain.
This is who we are: “the Absent Girls”, in memory of all the women before us.
Just like our mothers and “sisters”, we use seclusion in our favor to embroider the ancient traces of Antigone as part of our own lineage.
Just like women before us, we make art in seclusion. Only this time we go public!