Roma Armee
Women in power, this is how I imagine this theatrical performance. Not only are they talking about topics which for some societies are taboos, but they are also making it big and loud. It is about Roma people played by Roma people, it is about shaming and discriminating minorities and queer people, but is played by queer people. One of the lead players is Sandra Selimovic who is a proud Roma and queer fluid entity who is preferring women. If you are planning to go to Berlin, you can see this play here, you don't need to know the language, because you will understand it without it.
About the performance:
“At a time when Europe is at risk of drifting into neo-fascism, a group of actors is calling for a Roma army for self-defence. Roma army fights against structural discrimination, racism and antiziganism, but also supports emancipation from an internalized role of victims. The actors are Romnija, Roma and Romani travellers from Austria, Serbia, Germany, Kosovo, Romania, England and Sweden. They are also Israeli-German-Turkish-Berlin Gadjé – that means that the Roma Army is supranational, diverse, feminist, queer. Initiated by the sisters Simonida and Sandra Selimović, they are entering the stage at the Gorki in a collective act of self-empowering artistic action with resident director Yael Ronen: through a joint research process, personal experiences, historical contaminations and contemporary incidents are explored and used to develop a play. Together with visual artists Delaine and Damian Le Bas from England, they sketch out a vision for a Safe European Home in Gypsyland Europe, as the Le Bas call it.”
Here is the link for the trailer:
Premiere: 14/September 2017
An idea by: Sandra Selimovic & Simonida Selimovic
Directed by: Yael Ronen
More info: https://www.gorki.de/en/roma-armee
About Sandra Selimovic:
“Sandra was born in 1981 in Serbia, she is an actress, director and singer. At the age of five, she emigrated with her family from Serbia to Vienna. She began her stage career in 1994 and has become a popular actress, director and rapper in the independent theatre scene in Vienna. She performs mainly at the youth theatre Dschungel Wien, and the former Theater des Augenblicks, and collaborates with Karl Wozek, P. W. Hochegger, Volker Lösch and Tina Leisch. In the Kosmos Theater, she was part of SHE HE ME by Amahl Khouri, directed by Paul Spittler. As an assertive and confident Romani, she is a champion of women's empowerment within the Roma community and is also committed to fighting antigypsyism discrimination. In 2010, together with her sister Simonida Selimović, she founded Romano Svato, the first feminist and professional Roma theatre association.”
About Simonida Selimovic:
“Simonida was born in Serbia in 1979. Immigrated as a child together with her family to Austria; she speaks German, Romany, Serbian and English. Early on she began her career as an actress in film/television and theatre. She appeared in the children's series Operation Dunarea, in the film Ciao Cherie by Nina Kusturica and later at the Schauspielhaus Essen, among other engagements. In the theatre scene in Vienna, she often works together with Tina Leisch and her sister Sandra Selimović. In 2010 she and her sister founded Romano Svato, the first feminist and professional Roma theatre association, as well as Mindj Panther, where Simonida is active as a feminist rapper and activist against racism, and fight for equality for the Roma people.”
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About the performance:
“At a time when Europe is at risk of drifting into neo-fascism, a group of actors is calling for a Roma army for self-defence. Roma army fights against structural discrimination, racism and antiziganism, but also supports emancipation from an internalized role of victims. The actors are Romnija, Roma and Romani travellers from Austria, Serbia, Germany, Kosovo, Romania, England and Sweden. They are also Israeli-German-Turkish-Berlin Gadjé – that means that the Roma Army is supranational, diverse, feminist, queer. Initiated by the sisters Simonida and Sandra Selimović, they are entering the stage at the Gorki in a collective act of self-empowering artistic action with resident director Yael Ronen: through a joint research process, personal experiences, historical contaminations and contemporary incidents are explored and used to develop a play. Together with visual artists Delaine and Damian Le Bas from England, they sketch out a vision for a Safe European Home in Gypsyland Europe, as the Le Bas call it.”
Here is the link for the trailer:
Premiere: 14/September 2017
An idea by: Sandra Selimovic & Simonida Selimovic
Directed by: Yael Ronen
More info: https://www.gorki.de/en/roma-armee
About Sandra Selimovic:
“Sandra was born in 1981 in Serbia, she is an actress, director and singer. At the age of five, she emigrated with her family from Serbia to Vienna. She began her stage career in 1994 and has become a popular actress, director and rapper in the independent theatre scene in Vienna. She performs mainly at the youth theatre Dschungel Wien, and the former Theater des Augenblicks, and collaborates with Karl Wozek, P. W. Hochegger, Volker Lösch and Tina Leisch. In the Kosmos Theater, she was part of SHE HE ME by Amahl Khouri, directed by Paul Spittler. As an assertive and confident Romani, she is a champion of women's empowerment within the Roma community and is also committed to fighting antigypsyism discrimination. In 2010, together with her sister Simonida Selimović, she founded Romano Svato, the first feminist and professional Roma theatre association.”
About Simonida Selimovic:
“Simonida was born in Serbia in 1979. Immigrated as a child together with her family to Austria; she speaks German, Romany, Serbian and English. Early on she began her career as an actress in film/television and theatre. She appeared in the children's series Operation Dunarea, in the film Ciao Cherie by Nina Kusturica and later at the Schauspielhaus Essen, among other engagements. In the theatre scene in Vienna, she often works together with Tina Leisch and her sister Sandra Selimović. In 2010 she and her sister founded Romano Svato, the first feminist and professional Roma theatre association, as well as Mindj Panther, where Simonida is active as a feminist rapper and activist against racism, and fight for equality for the Roma people.”
Roma Armee Poster with Sandra Selimović – Photo: Esra Rotthoff