A Masque for the Multiverse

by laborgras

Premiere: December 29th, 2024 | Radialsystem
Further Performances: December 30th - 31th | Radialsystem

With A Masque for the Multiverse, laborgras and CONTINUUM celebrate an extraordinary encounter between the Baroque and the present.

The performance stands for the power of encounters, the value of cultural diversity, and the courage to rethink traditions. Together with eight musicians, three singers, and four performers, we create a vivid reinterpretation of the historical masque tradition. Baroque music by William Lawes – composed for the court of Charles I – meets contemporary works by Shara Nova, whose compositions build bridges between pop culture and baroque soundscapes.

A Masque for the Multiverse merges music and contemporary dance into a cross-genre evening that places themes such as diversity and openness at its center. Inspired by the concept of the masque – a revolutionary and historically unique event at the English courts of James I and Charles I – this tradition is reimagined in a contemporary context. Audience members are invited to move freely within the performance space, shaping their own perspectives on the unfolding events. They can decide how close or distant they wish to be from the performers, experiencing the evening as active participants.

Despite the 400 years that separate their work, William Lawes and Shara Nova share a thematic focus on transformation and identity. In her opera You Us We All, Nova creates a seamless transition between epochs, allowing the baroque allegories of Hope, Love, and Death to reflect on the existential questions of our time. The texts challenge us to reconsider familiar beliefs: “What is our life? What purpose does beauty serve today?”

With sensuality and irony, laborgras launches its new work cycle Encounter with A Masque for the Multiverse, creating a space for reflection and transformation – a bridge between historical traditions and contemporary cultural currents. A unique experience for all who are curious about the artistic symbiosis of Baroque and the present, and the interplay of dance and music.

A laborgras production in collaboration with CONTINUUM and in cooperation with Radialsystem.
laborgras is funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.
A Masque for the Multiverse was made possible with generous funding from the State of Vorarlberg, granted to Renate Graziadei.

Media partnerships: The Berliner, Rausgegangen, taz – die tageszeitung, tip Berlin und radio3.

PHOTOS ©Phil-Dera