In Performance: Dreams Come True, Hichmoul Pilon Production, collectif anthropie e Siamo ovunque – We are Everywhere at Santarcangelo dei Teatri (Italy)

‘We are Everywhere’ is a project devised by Nous sommes, a French-speaking Swiss initiative of an editorial committee composed of members of Dreams Come true, Hichmoul Pilon Production and anthropie. The Italian committee is called Siamo Ovunque and is based in Bologna. The group collects texts to form a living and breathing archive of activism. Submissions range in topic from feminism, anticapitalism, antifascism, ecocide, and beyond. ‘We are Everywhere’ creates a safe space for subversive collective communication through the collision of many mediums: oration, website, and written word. 

For the performance, we gathered in Piazza Ganganelli, the main square in Santarcangelo. We picked up headsets and a thick stack of text in either English or Italian. The text included a table of contents, a glossary of terms, and dozens of anonymous submissions. We took our seats on various benches, boxes, and lounge chairs set up to face each other on a circular stage. The setup is intentionally simple so that the space can be easily recreated in a multitude of other locations at a minimal cost.

Once seated, we heard the voices of four of the projects’ coordinators through our headsets. We were invited to look through the various stories numbered before us in our handouts. We were told that we would be a part of this performance by reading aloud from these entries. We were encouraged to choose an entry that resonated with us, raise our hand when we were ready so we could receive a microphone, and read the entry for all to hear over the headsets we wore. Together we, the audience, shared our voices to learn and understand the voices and people from whom these words came.

The piece is a protest in and of itself. Intentionally placed in the hub of the festival, we are seen and heard by all who pass by–truly embodying the title ‘We are Everywhere.’ There are more chapters opening across Europe. I’m inspired by this group’s effort to take these conversations into the physical world as I find most of these shared community spaces are found online.

Santarcangelo dei Teatri
July 9 19.00
July 10 19.00
Piazza Ganganelli 

*Please note I only attended the first hour of this performance due to scheduling conflicts with other shows

Photo by Dorothée Thébert-Filliger