As Strangers. From the Collective to the Personal. Awaking Memory and Trauma in the Streets of Kalamata

Περίληψη

The subject of this paper is the civil war in the region of Kalamata and the relation between memory and trauma, both on a collective and personal level, as it is reflected through the research of the walking documentary performance As Stranger, which was presented for the first time in Kalamata, in October 2023. The main research issues that will concern us are, firstly the role of the performing arts - and more specifically the theatre of reality -, its relation to the collective trauma of societies that have experienced intense and traumatic situations and how this is a field of research in the dramaturgy, direction and visual aspect of the performance. Secondly, the use of research practices of ethnography and autoethnography and how this is reflected in the direction and dramaturgy. Finally, the emergence and use of public space through walking as an integral part of the performance: a space that is transformed into a place, with memory and trauma as its axis; with the audience being transformed from mere spectators to bearers of experience.