“Nothing about us without us!” – People who live with disabilities have voiced this demand for a long time, and their struggle against walls of ignorance in our society has been just as lengthy. What do terms like ableism, crip time or inspiration porn mean? “These concepts are too scholarly and too theoretical for the theatre”, our artistic director says. “Who would want to see that?” – But how can we talk about disabilities if we don’t have the words? Perhaps by giving them to ourselves as a gift? With a nod to the Nutcracker-stories by E.T.A. Hoffmann and Peter Tchaikovsky, choreographer Alessandro Schiattarella and his cast celebrate the joy of giving presents. In Breaking Point, they create a new vocabulary which they use to tear down walls and to build bridges between different worlds of experience.
Breaking Point is the second production that Naples-born choreographer and director Alessandro Schiattarella has headed at the State Theatre of Lower Saxony in the context of the JUPITER funding-programme of the Federal Cultural Foundation. As a dancer and performer, he has worked with renowned artists. He is affected by a rare disease that has caused him to create choreographic projects focussing on disability and to specifically integrate the “aesthetics of access” into his productions. His works have been presented at prominent theatres, art spaces and major international festivals.