Vis-a-Vis(a), a cross-border story about friendship

Interview with Yentl de Lange – Concept developer, researcher and assistant director

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First, a short introduction:

My name is Yentl de Lange, and I am a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam in the anthropology department, but I prefer to be in Tunisia. My research focuses on how Tunisians navigate visa procedures in their attempts to travel to Europe. While much attention is given to people crossing borders illegally, little research has been done to understand what the so-called legal ways of traveling and migrating actually look like. That is the focus of my research.
 

How did you come up with the concept for the performance?

Navigating a visa procedure is primarily about navigating a paper reality: if you can obtain the right documents, you have a chance to cross the border legally. It’s not about who you are or why you want to travel, but whether you can construct a credible paper dossier about yourself. I felt an urgency to make the opposite movement: instead of transforming oneself into a two-dimensional and immobile dossier, I wanted to bring dossiers back to the body and to movement. Theater is an excellent medium for refocusing on movement and the body. I am incredibly grateful for the collaboration with Cat Smits, whose direction and expertise in puppetry have beautifully shaped the performance: puppets can make movements that humans cannot. And, strikingly enough, puppets can cross borders that people sometimes cannot.
 

What does Vis-a-vis(a) mean to you?

The performance is about the differences in opportunities to travel in this world, and how, as Europeans, we often take our strong red passport and frequent trips abroad for granted. It’s a difficult reality to confront, especially when it becomes evident within a friendship. A sense of equality forms the foundation of many friendships. But how do you protect that when the world around you sees and treats you as unequal?
 

Do you have a special or favorite moment from the creative process?

Of course, the Tunisian actors had to apply for visas to come and perform in the Netherlands. Their process (and the outcome of that procedure) is the inspiration for this performance. For my research, I followed the entire procedure. That was very special and incredibly tense. How it turned out is something the audience will discover in the performance.
 

Is there anything you’d like to say to potential audience members?

Whether you believe in closing all borders, opening all borders, or something in between, I think this performance will resonate with everyone. You are very welcome! And as a researcher, I am, of course, very curious about the questions and thoughts the performance will provoke in the audience.

Vis-a-Vis(a) can be seen on March 25 (try out) and March 26 (premiere) at the Queering Puppets Festival Amsterdam in the Plein Theater.

On Wednesday March 26, Yentl de Lange will give a presentation prior to the performance about how theater and puppetry can cross the boundary where people (bodies) cannot.